Somay-Q Review: Reviving Faded Caps (and a Polo Shirt) with Fabric Spray Paint

This is the English edition of a review from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I review gadgets and everyday tools from my home in Japan, so product links go to Amazon Japan.

Quick take

Somay-Q is a Japanese spray paint that works on fabric, leather, plastic and more. I used it four times over about a year and a half to bring back faded caps and a sun-bleached polo shirt. For caps, which you rarely wash, it works very well. For shirts that go in the washing machine every week, expect “wearable again”, not “like new”.

Two caps recoloured with Somay-Q — Left: a cap I sprayed black more than six months earlier. Right: today’s two-tone job

What I tested

Somay-Q multi-purpose spray, black, 70 ml
Mini Somay-Q aerosol, navy blue, 70 ml
A cap I have worn for somewhere between five and ten years, painted in two colours (navy back, black brim)
Two black caps I painted earlier, and a black polo shirt with a sun-faded collar, which I then washed once

What I found

Fabric soaks up the paint, so it hardly runs or drips even when you spray up close. It is easy for a beginner.
Masking is everything. Tape that lifted on the uneven fabric let paint creep under it in two places.
Wait until the first colour is fully dry before you mask for the second. I taped too early and pulled some navy off.
Freshly painted fabric feels a bit stiff. On the cap I painted six months earlier, the stiffness had gone and no colour came off on my hands.
One 70 ml can was not quite enough to fully cover two caps. Plan on one can per cap if you are painting the whole thing.
Black over white embroidery, in one to one and a half coats, gives a dark grey rather than a solid black.
On the polo shirt, one wash was enough to make the paint visibly wear off up close, especially along the fold of the collar. The shirt still looked far better than before painting.

Polo shirt collar before and after Somay-Q — The polo collar before painting (left) and right after (right)

Item	Paint used	Afterwards
Two black caps (first try)	One 70 ml can — slightly short	Wears where you touch it, like the brim, but lasted well. I repainted after about a year
Two-tone cap	Two 70 ml cans (one per colour)	Stiff at first. Slight unevenness in the navy if you look closely
Polo shirt collar	One 70 ml can — ran out before the hem	No colour transfer after drying for 7–8 hours
Same polo, washed once	—	Visible wear up close; overall a softer black

My own four uses, not a lab test

Who it’s for

Good fit: faded caps and other fabric items you rarely wash
Good fit: touching up just the faded parts of something you still like
Not a good fit: clothes you wash often, if you want them to look new
Not a good fit: changing a whole garment to a different colour

Watch the review

【さすが染めQ】色あせた帽子を「染めQ」で新品同様にする方法。失敗しないコツは？【２色染めに挑戦！】

The video is in Japanese. YouTube’s auto-translated captions can help you follow along. I also made shorter videos on the first caps, the polo shirt, and the wash test.

Limitations

This is my own experience with a handful of items, not a durability test. I let the polo dry for about three days before wearing it; waiting a week before the first wash might give better results. Somay-Q is a Japanese brand and may be hard to find outside Japan. The price I mention (under ¥1,000 per can) was what I said in the video at the time of recording.

Products

Somay-Q multi-purpose spray, black, 70 ml: on Amazon Japan

Mini Somay-Q aerosol, navy blue, 70 ml: on Amazon Japan

The Amazon Japan links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check the listing for the exact model, current price and shipping availability in your region.

More reviews in English