When I saw the announcement of a flu virus killing suit (PDF link) out of Japan I thought to myself: Finally! A techno fashion piece for guys. Take that Swine Flu! Upon further review, unfortunately, my enthusiasm was quickly dampered. These "Virus Clean Suits" by Haruyama Trading supposedly break down viruses when the titanium dioxide on their fabric reacts to light. That sounds good indeed until you realize:

• According to the company, it takes about three hours of sunlight for the chemical reaction to break down viruses and bacteria on the fabric. Who would stay in the sun for three hours straight while wearing a suit?
• Haruyama Trading also claims that the titanium dioxide on the fabric would last beyond 20 washes. I'm somewhat skeptical though. And what would happen after 30, 40 washes?
• The real problem, however, is that influenza is mostly transmitted through the air. No men's suits can ever protect you from that. Haruyama Trading even tacitly admit the shortcoming by offering a free mask to every buyer of the suit.

So how does one keep safe from the big bad H1N1? Graffiti artist Banksy prophetically pointed the way with his infamous You Have Beautiful Eyes:

Source: mycom.co.jp, Wooster Collective