Casio’s GXFAB is the G-Shock of t-shirts and resistant to fading, stretching, and abrasion

Japan’s G-Shock Products line is launching the GXFAB t-shirt, which is based on the G-Shock development philosophy of making a tough product that is resistant to breaking down. In the case of a black t-shirt, that means one that is resistant to fading from sunlight and chemicals, stretching from washing and wear, and abrasion.

The GXFAB shirt uses a special yarn with pigments mixed in at the raw material stage and not a traditionally dyed yarn. This process uses less water and emits less CO2, making it more ecofriendly.

The fabric is resistant to strong chemicals like undiluted chlorine bleach, which was used to test its colorfastness. The GXFAB material performed similarly to black dyed polyester, with both maintaining a strong black color with just a slightly noticeable difference, while black dyed cotton turned completely white.

In a lightfastness test, a machine simulated exposure to sunlight for the equivalent of ten years. The GXFAB material was the only one to maintain a black color that appeared only slightly degraded from the original. The black dyed cotton turned beige, and the black dyed polyester turned gray.

GXFAB is also abrasion-resistant and stretch-resistant, which one would expect from a product being compared to G-Shock. The fabric is made of 20-count double-ply yarn and was tested by a machine for abrasion resistance. The shirt was also tested for stretch resistance with repeated exposure to a washing machine. The shirt also has enhanced neckline durability and was tested by simulated wearing (of continually stretching the neck over a model head). The shirt has special reinforcement binders that go from the neck to the shoulders.

As with G-Shock watches, the GXFAB shirt raises the question of how tough of a t-shirt do you really need? For many people, the usual cotton or polyester may be good enough, but for those who work outdoors or constantly find themselves with prematurely degraded t-shirts may find the GXFAB t-shirt to be an essential part of their wardrobe.

The material is made of polyester, which usually has a very different feel than cotton, but Casio says that it undergoes a special process that gives it “cotton-like texture and comfort.” The product was under development for two years, and Casio says that it will continue to develop and evolve GXFAB. (One thing we’d like to know is what the SPF rating of the fabric is, but we are confident that it will do a good job of protecting the skin, as polyester typically offers excellent UV protection.) It will be interesting to see if more colors are launched, and we’d especially like to see a hooded version for additional sun protection.

The GXFAB line will launch on August 30 (12:00) in Japan with two t-shirts, one short-sleeve and one long-sleeve. The made-in-Japan shirts have a plain black appearance, with a small embroidered black-on-black GXFAB logo tag on the (wearer’s) left side by the hem, and a G-Shock Products neck tag. The tax-included prices are 12,100 yen for the short-sleeve t-shirt and 14,850 yen for the long sleeve t-shirt. Sizes include S, M, L, and XL. The shirts appear to run a bit large as is the style these days. There are photos of a 5’8″ model wearing all sizes at the Casio site (link below).

The G-Shock Products line originally launched in Japan only, but many of its recent items have been officially available in Singapore and Taiwan at Casio.com, so it’s possible that these will be too at a later date. The GXFAB t-shirt could possibly be G-Shock Products’ breakout item, as it offers true utility beyond being a fashion statement, just like the watch that inspired it.

GXFAB at gshock.casio.com/jp (in Japanese)

Update: All the GXFAB shirts ended up selling out within hours of release.