The scene opens on a young woman getting ready for a job interview. As she moves around her home, preparing for her day, she holds a coffee while reading her smartphone. Suddenly, she is startled by a call coming in and spills her coffee all over her white shirt. Disaster, right? Not this time: the shirt remains intact, unstained, and she is no worse for wear.
This is the Unstainable™ White Shirt by Elizabeth and Clarke.
From their Kickstarter campaign:
We know women everywhere love an elegant white silk blouse, but we also know (first-hand in many cases!) the fear of actually wearing it. Between making breakfast for the kids and rushing to get to work, it is hard to commit to wearing a white shirt during the day in the life of a modern woman— but not anymore. We are launching a shirt that truly meets all of your needs: it’s beautiful, affordable, fit to flatter a woman’s body, washable, and actually wearable in your everyday life.
The designers were inspired by the way flowers naturally have water bead on petals rather than absorb into the surface. A year’s worth of research and development later, the Unstainable Shirt was created. The fabric uses nanotechnology to repel oil- and water-based liquids, with 0.001 micrometer-wide “whiskers” protecting the fabric from staining agents, which are applied in a proprietary finish. The blouse is crepe de chine, which is usually made from silk or silk-like synthetic materials, and the tee style is made with a cotton/modal blend.
In the video below, the shirt’s full range of stain-resisting capabilities are on full display – plus, it’s fun and funny!
Already raising five times their initial goal, Elizabeth and Clarke are stretching the Kickstarter campaign to raise a quarter of a million dollars, in order to offer a broader range of sizes of the shirt.
The shirt is machine-washable and can be tumble-dried. However, the makers note that traditional strain-treating will cause the stain to set. Spills should not be “blotted” as is usually prescribed; instead, water-based liquids will not stay, while oil-based stains should be rinsed carefully.
If it seems too good to be true, rest assured: in real world , the shirt seems to live up to its promises, repelling wine without incident.
The shirt is set to ship in September of 2015, and is available to those who pledge $50 or more on the company’s Kickstarter page.
