Lumi Uses Sun to Create Images on Clothes

The Lumi Process is an exciting new way to print images on fabric using nothing but the power of the sun. Users can utilize Lumi’s handy app to turn a picture into a negative, find something to print on like a pair of jeans or an old shirt, then the sunshine will do the work. As the dye develops, it becomes permanently affixed to the material, giving clothes a one-of-a-kind look that's guaranteed to impress.

Lumi offers a revolutionary photographic print process for textiles and natural materials. The process is based on Inkodye: mixable, dilutable, water-based dyes, which develop their color in sunlight.

Inkodye can bind to any vegetal or animal fiber, such as cotton, linen, wool, silk, suede and wood. Once fixed, the color becomes permanent and can go through repeated machine washes without fading.

Inkodye's light-sensitive properties open several new possibilities for artistic and commercial uses:

- True photographic prints that show a range of tonality rather than half-tone patterns. Turn your smartphone pictures into beautiful designs.

- Permanent. Your prints will be soft and machine-washable. The dye actually becomes part of the fiber.

- Works on any natural fiber. Great on 100% cotton tees and delicate materials like silk, suede and wool which are not capable of going through pH or heat-setting stages.

- Prints over rough materials such as burlap, jute and sewn garments, into recesses that typical screen-printing could not reach.

- Uses the sun! No need for electricity, silkscreens or high-end equipment.

[Sources: Kickstarter.com, Vimeo.com]