Fabrican is a spray-on fabric created by Manel Torres, the founder of Fabrican, Ltd. Fabrican's patented technology involves the creation of a liquid suspension which is then sprayed by use of either a spray gun or an aerosol can.
Developed through a collaboration between Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art, Fabrican technology has captured the imagination of designers, industry and the public around the world. The technology has been developed for use in household, industrial, personal and healthcare, decorative and fashion applications using aerosol cans or spray-guns, and will soon be found in products available everywhere.
The fabric is formed by the cross-linking of fibres, which adhere to one another, to create an instant non-woven fabric that can be easily sprayed on to any surface. Its properties can be tailored to meet the needs of each user.
Manel Torres conceived of the idea for Spray-on Fabric in 1995 while studying for his MA in Fashion Women's Wear, Royal College of Art, London. However, sf writer Stanislaw Lem wrote about spray-on clothing in his 1961 novel Return from the Stars. In the futuristic world of the novel, life's necessities are readily available to everyone - including instant clothing:
I could see how that might appeal to women, because by discharging from a few or a few dozen bottles a liquid that immediately set into fabrics with textures smooth or rough--velvet, fur, or pliable metal--they could have a new creation every time, each for one occasion only...
I stood with my arms raised and he set to work, spraying from four bottles at once. The liquid in the air, white like foam, set almost instantaneously...
(Read more about Lem's spray on clothing)
I should also add an honorable mention for Philip K. Dick, who wrote about a spray-foam blouse in his 1969 novel Galactic Pot-Healer.
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