Touch Grass: Dbrand’s turf-inspired skins let you “touch grass” on any device
Dbrand is shipping a fresh line of skins that mimic real grass, letting you wrap your smartphones, tablets, and laptops in bright green artificial turf. The Touch Grass collection is available now on the company’s site for over 100 devices, with pricing in line with their premium skins: $29.95 for phones, $49.95 for tablets, and $69.95 for laptops.
Despite the April Fools timing, the product is real, according to Dbrand CEO Adam Ijaz. He notes that while the launch is playful, it isn’t a joke you can return in-store — these are genuine offerings you can buy. The tongue-in-cheek concept nods to satire while delivering a tangible product.
Design and manufacturing details
- Each skin features thousands of tiny polyethylene strands created through electrostatic flocking. The strands are charged to stand upright and adhere to a vinyl base material from 3M.
- To keep the grass from shedding or clogging devices, the strands are embedded into an adhesive layer that only covers about 25% of the strand height.
- Durability tests included 10,000 abrasion cycles, with no notable strand detachment or bald patches reported.
Edge and durability improvements
- Early production used die-cutting, which caused some grass fibers to loosen at the edges. The fix was to switch to laser cutting, which seals the perimeter by melting the edges and bonding the strands together, reducing edge shedding over time.
Practical considerations
- The skins can attract lint due to their texture, but cleaning is straightforward with a gentle wipe.
Environmental note
- As with many microplastics products, there are concerns about long-term environmental impact if discarded. The article highlights that ongoing microplastic concerns may warrant consideration before adding more plastic-based goods to the market.
Source note
- Reported by Andrew Liszewski.