# Science Fiction Comes True with Spray-On Clothing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** fashion-clothing\ **Created:** [October 2, 2022, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569 "2022-10-02T03:08:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/1 "2022-10-02T03:08:33Z")
Back in the ancient times when I regularly read science fiction, a common trope was that people would wear clothing that appeared immediately, the fabric emerging from some device and forming around the body. I don’t mean body paint, but more like an instant dress. It’s here. It’s real. Well, at least for a fashion model on the runway. The fabric equivalent sprays on and looks like body paint but appears to harden into flowing fabric that’s separate from the body. It has to be seen to be believed. I’m putting a Youtube video of the event - only a minute long - into spoilers because it is obviously NSFW. [Bella Hadid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpnVFPqFhHQ) OK, it may not be new. I did some digging and found the inventor, a [Dr. Manel Torres](https://girbaulab.com/manel-torres-founder-of-fabrican-at-the-girbau-lab-innovators-club/), who invented “Fabrican” a full decade ago. (That link is safe.) A quick search here didn’t bring up his name. With Bella Hadid as the runway subject, though, the dress is making big news and I bet it’s on everybody’s news feed in the next day or two. I can’t figure out whether this is the start of something big, like 3-D printing, or just an expensive gimmick like molecular gastronomy. Torres seems legit as a scientist and the idea of instant form-fitting clothing that can be broken down and reused is exciting. Lots of questions. How durable is it? Can it do normal outside wear? How many layers for privacy? How does it get redone? What if gets in your eyes? Can it ever hit the mass market? That’s the problem with sf: all the questions are answered off-page in the stroke of a key. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/2 "2022-10-02T16:37:54Z")
I’m not sure how they got the lower part of the dress to span the gap between her legs, rather than ending up as a pair of leggings. Was that entirely accounted for by spraying from the sides? And would it result in a comfortable surface for the inside of the dress? Also, how did she avoid getting it all over her hands? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/3 "2022-10-02T17:31:39Z")
No idea, no idea, and no idea. All I could find is short articles on the stunt. If this is to be a product, all the zillion questions fabrican raises need to be answered. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/4 "2022-10-02T17:46:49Z")
Looks like a lot of cutting and trimming was done to get the final product after the spraying. It may not be sticking to her skin like paint, just sticking to itself so it hangs down to make the skirt and maybe could be removed and reused intact in theory. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/5 "2022-10-02T17:52:27Z")
everyone in the YT comments says its liquid later ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/6 "2022-10-02T19:06:02Z")
I read all the way to the bottom and didn’t see even one. Can you find them again? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/7 "2022-10-02T19:12:38Z")
its replies the comments of “moni ho” about 6 down ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/8 "2022-10-02T19:30:30Z")
Someone says it goes on as liquid “latex” not that it becomes liquid “later”. So, a typo? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/9 "2022-10-02T20:09:30Z")
nd [not to be fat shaming exaclty, that would be the pot calling the kettle black] if one were not absolutely model skinny twig, it would show every single lump and bump and look horrific. I mean, if I were to do that, you would see every flab roll and my P’Tit Joey [I named my stoma, and hold conversations with him] Yikes. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/10 "2022-10-02T20:12:11Z")
The [Fabrican website](https://www.fabricanltd.com/) has a lot of info and NSFW videos, but noting shows how the material ends up looking like that dress. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/11 "2022-10-02T21:33:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Also, how did she avoid getting it all over her hands? And your new ensemble comes with free gloves! ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/12 "2022-10-02T23:16:52Z")
It’s hard to imagine it ever having general use, but I can see some possible narrow applications. For instance, in medicine, there’s often good reason to remove a patient’s clothes, but you might have reason to give them something to wear (particularly in an emergency). And being stored in a can, it should be totally sterile. It might also serve as an instant bandage for awkward locations. Or, in space, where weight and volume are at a premium, you can have a few sets of replacement clothes available without needing to specialize them for a given body shape. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/13 "2022-10-03T03:17:03Z")
Spray-on skin has developed as a treatment for burns victims in the past few years [although that term over-simplifies what is still a very complex series of medical processes and treatments]. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/14 "2022-10-03T08:15:59Z")
It’s just a fancy latex spray. In that sense, it’s a tech that’s very old. After all, the MAya made temporary latex shoes by dipping their feet into it. Me, I think way more sci-fi is 3D-printed clothing. Especially the reactive kind: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mPjfFzrAuos/maxresdefault.jpg "3D printed smart clothing") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPjfFzrAuos) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/15 "2022-10-03T11:43:12Z")
[Flint Lockwood’s lawyers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpVtVUSYMRw) may want a word. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/16 "2022-10-03T13:00:27Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Back in the ancient times when I regularly read science fiction, a common trope was that people would wear clothing that appeared immediately, the fabric emerging from some device and forming around the body. Can you give us an example of a science fiction work containing this trope? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/17 "2022-10-03T13:09:58Z")
_Black Panther_ fits the bill. His device was a necklace… ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/18 "2022-10-03T13:45:23Z")
Lord, it already takes me long enough to dress for a formal affair without engaging a team of professionals to spray on my dress! 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/19 "2022-10-03T13:50:05Z")
The _Black Panther_ comic debuted in 1966. Did the necklace he wore generate clothing that far back, or did that not appear in anything related to the Black Panther until the 2018 comic? Exapno\_Mapcase said that “Back in the ancient times when I regularly read science fiction, a common trope was that people would wear clothing that appeared immediately, the fabric emerging from some device and forming around the body.” Are there any examples of this trope from back in that time? ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569/20 "2022-10-03T16:01:37Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > All I could find is short articles on the stunt. If this is to be a product, all the zillion questions fabrican raises need to be answered. Yes, that video left a lot of questions. For all we know they cut out two hours while the dress dried and they shaped it. Very interesting product. I wonder how expensive it is and what the learning curve is. > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Can you give us an example of a science fiction work containing this trope? The Flash has a ring that contains his costume. Not sure when that started, not really a fan. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-fiction-comes-true-with-spray-on-clothing/972569.md?page=2)