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Sommers Plastic Products Company Inc., Clifton, N.J., is offering the patent-pending Super-Stealth Camouflage, which functions as two fabrics. When worn at night in the cool desert, the fabric’s opaque black color becomes clear. When the sun warms it in daylight, the material changes to desert camouflage. The fabric can be used for tents, clothing, and to cover artillery.
A Sommers project for Puma sneakers uses similar technology. Puma commissioned an artist to create a print called “Lady Graphic” and then hired Sommers Plastic to design a gravure print roller from that design to print the polyurethane upper material of the sneaker. Sommers coated it with a proprietary thermochromatic, disappearing ink, so the top, opaque color disappears when warmed, exposing the hidden graphic underneath. In the retail store, the shoes will appear as one of four opaque colors. When the shoe is worn and warmed up—either by the warmth of the foot or ambient temperatures—the top color becomes clear and exposes the hidden “LadyGraphic” underneath.