Vantablack Fabric: Can You Buy Vantablack Clothes?
Not all interesting colors can be purchased. There will be times where you will see a color that just attracts your complete attention. Then you find out you can’t purchase it. There are always different and valid reasons why you can’t purchase the colors that attract you.
Can you buy Vantablack clothes? There may be versions that have conquered the challenges that keep people from buying this fabric or color. Someone has said that Vanatablack 3.0 is one of those versions but that remains to be seen. Also, it may not be used in clothing yet.
To learn more about Vantablack clothing just continue to read our article. It goes into the subject to make sure you have the answers to some of your questions about this color and use.
Can You Buy Vantablack Clothes?
Right now the word on the street is no you can’t. It is not that this is an expensive color or material to buy nor is it because it can’t be used in clothing. The reason you can’t buy it is because of a selfish temperamental artist.
Unless things have changed, the artist named Anish Kapoor is the reason you cannot find this color added to any clothing that you can purchase. For some reason, he was able to purchase or maintain exclusive rights to this color and he ha snot allowed any commercial use of Vantablack
The color is used in scientific and astronomical experiments and equipment but that is as far as the permissions go. That may not be as selfish as one would think as Mr. Kapoor is keeping people from having skin and other health issues that come with this color.
Is Vantablack Illegal?
As far as we have been able to find out it is not illegal in a courtroom or criminal situation. People may get sued if they use it because they would be violating those exclusive rights held by that artist.
Unless he gives specific permission for you to use the color in your clothing or on your car, on your walls etc., you have no legal right to use it. It is more of a civil issue than a criminal one.
You can blame the creator or manufacturer, Surrey NanoSystems, for this problem as they felt that they could not produce enough of this color for a wider application. So they gave Mr. Kapoor exclusive rights because he is known for working with voids.
It is possible to get similar versions of this color called VBx1 & VBx2 as they are solvent-based colors and not carbon nanotube-based colors.
Can Vantablack kill You?
It is not a poison in the sense common and well-known poisons can kill you. But because of the ingredients involved, you may experience some skin issues as well as lung and eye problems.
But that is par for the course when you are using harsh chemicals to make everyday items. These chemicals are not as safe as experts will tell you and depending on your health and skin type, chemicals are something you should avoid.
In the long run, you may experience a loss of life but that may take years not minutes. That means no it can’t kill you unless you do something stupid with this color. You may become sensory deprived if you stay in a room painted with this color as it absorbs light and does not reflect it.
How Expensive is Vantablack?
This is something that is hard to measure because the color isn't available for commercial use or sale. There is a watchmaker claiming they are using Vantablack on a limited edition, 50 watches, of timepieces, and those watches cost about $75,000 or $95,000 depending on the story you read.
For clothing, it is not available right now and while the Surrey company is experimenting with using this color on fabrics, they have said it will be a long time before you see dresses made with Vantablack.
The reason for the delay is that Vantablack is not a paint, not a pigment but a coating of nanotubes. It is not a dye either. So far BMW is the only car company to make a car using this color and it is expected to be a one-time experiment.
The ‘paint’ would cost too much and it is not sure if it can handle the rigors of daily road conditions as well as other reasons.
Vantablack Dress
This might be an item you can put on your bucket list. Buy one dress made with this ‘color’. Right now the last word we have seen is that the company that owns the rights to this ‘color’ is not producing a version for clothing.
They have said it will take years before they get close to using it and even then they are not sure how practical it will be as a fabric color. Remember Vantablack is made with nanotubes and it is not a dye, pigment, or paint.
The applications for Vantablack are very limited and were designed for very special scientific and technological uses. Those uses include absorbing light that interferes with seeing solar flares, star light, and so on.
Vantablack Costume
Number one, do not believe the hype. If someone has created a YouTube video saying Vantablack is being used on costumes, etc., do not believe them. The exclusive rights granted to that artist do not allow for such use at this time.
Number two, the company has not perfected this chemical for use in fabrics. That word comes from a 2016 article as well as articles written in the past few months. Part of the problem is the rights issue and it seems some watchmakers have been able to secure limited use rights to put the color in their watch models.
There has been no up to date word if the company has succeeded in transferring this ‘color’ and make it a practical color option for clothing.
Vantablack Fabric
To read about this material you would think it is some kind of superman like fabric. It is sensitive to touch but yet strong enough to withstand shock and vibration. Also, it is made mostly from air as the carbon nanotubes have no mass.
That means this color or material is perfect for those items that have to endure a bumpy ride. Like space ships do. After all, this material was created to be used in super technical industries like telescopes, space equipment, and so on.
The presence of those limited series watches tells you that the company is working on making this material practical for everyday use. But that objective is still in the research and development stage.
There may be other applications but the car industry does not seem to be one of them at this time.
Black 3.0 Clothing
To make sure there is no confusion, this is not Vantablack. It is a different type of ‘color’ made by a different company altogether. It is called the blackest paint in the world because it is, unlike Vantablack, actual paint or pigment.
Also, since it is not made from the same materials as Vantablack it does not fall under the exclusive rights contract Mr. Kapoor has with that Surrey firm. What Black 3.0 is when you look at it, is an acrylic pigment that absorbs light.
Plus, it works on almost any surface you want to paint and is applied by a brush. One funny aspect about this paint is that the makers have said, right in their advertising, that it is not available for Mr. Kapoor.
While it may be the blackest paint around, it can still be thinned with water.
Vantablack Alternative
There seem to be several alternatives to Vantablack. We have mentioned three already and those three are not expensive, not under the exclusive rights deal, and can be found in a lot of retail and online stores.
VBx1 & VBx2 are two of those 3 alternatives and Black 3.0 is the third. Another alternative is S139 Suede black made by Nextel/ Mankiewicz but it is not actually that close to Vantablack.
The problem with going for alternatives is that government laws may interfere with their retail or commercial purchases. You would have to check the laws to see if you can import those alternatives as well as sell them.
It is called dual-use and it can be tricky to navigate those rules.
Some Final Words
While it has its application and is a real material, do not expect Vantablack to grace your fabric store’s shelves any time soon. Even if it does, you may not be able to afford it.
Right now just be content with the alternatives you can buy and are available now. Black is black and all variations are good to use.
