Generra Sportswear, the Seattle-based company that distributed Hypercolor - the T-shirts that changed colour with heat - and declared bankruptcy on 2nd July, 1992.
In a brief three-month span, between February and May 1991, the company sold a whopping $50 million worth of heat-sensitive T-shirts, shorts, pants, sweatshirts and tights, using the ‘Global Hypercolor’ brand in the UK. However, they struggled to meet the overwhelming demand for their products and as a result of mismanagement and overproduction, couldn’t handle their overnight success.
In this episode, The Retrospectors explain how sex was used to sell its products Down Under; consider why the product was a let-down if you lived in a sub-tropical climate, and ponder whether mood rings became ‘the acceptable face of colour-changing’...
Further Reading:
• ‘Why Hypercolor T-Shirts Were Just a One-Hit Wonder’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2013): www.smithsonia...
• ‘Generra: Hot Start, Then Cold Reality -- Company Reflects Industry's Woes’ (The Seattle Times, 1992): archive.seattl...
• ‘Generra Hyper Color Shirts - Heat Makes It Happen’ (TV Commercial, 1992): • 1991 - Generra Hyper C...
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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.
Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart.
Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2024.
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19 авг 2024