It was too good to be true: A video posted on Oct. 25, produced by Australian-based online boutique Showpo, shows a model wearing a dress that changes colors at the touch of a button. But the shop has recently admitted the dress doesn’t actually exist.
In the video above, a man touches different colors of a wheel on a tablet. While he does so, the model’s white dress changes color from pink to blue and then purple, as everyone in the room screams in astonishment.
The video started garnering attention Monday and received coverage from BuzzFeed, Yahoo Style and Good Housekeeping, who all questioned if it was real. And for good reason: It wasn’t.
The aforementioned articles cited an interview with the purported dressmakers on Finder.com.au, and a rep said Showpo’s CEO “has always wanted to be innovative and ahead of the game when it comes to technology. She doesn’t compete in the market, she dominates!” But no one could actually provide proof that the dress was real.
Good Housekeeping reminded readers of a similar prank from earlier this year that featured a color-changing dress on Sleeping Beauty at Disney Tokyo.
It came to light on Wednesday that Showpo’s video was a viral prank made to generate buzz for the company’s recent partnership with Samsung and Questacon, according to an update on Showpo’s Facebook page that features the original video, but with a new ending:
Showpo wrote: “Hey guys! So our ‘colour changing dress’ has garnered a LOT of attention and questions, so here’s some more information. Although we haven’t invented the product *yet*, we think we could soon with your help! If you’re a student and study STEM subjects that is! We’re working with Samsung and Questacon to encourage young Australians to set themselves up for success.”
Showpo’s apparent goal is to encourage viewers to study subjects in science, technology, engineering and math, to someday develop this very dress.
We feel a bit duped, but at least it was a for a good cause ... right?
