Who Cares About Labels?

A guide to care labels and instructions

When thinking about getting your latest product or design to market the last thing most people think about is its longevity and care once it has been sold.

Your brand and identity lives on once your customer walks out of the shop! The quality of the garment and its ability to stay as close to ‘new’ as possible says as much about your brand as anything you have designed.

So when branding your product an essential part of that should be the care of your product after it has been purchased.

Wash care labels can be overlooked by customers (especially men!) so being innovative with them can bring them to your customer’s attention. However, there are a few rules and regulations you need to be aware of when designing your wash care instructions.

When it comes to your care label there are four key elements to be mindful of; fibre content, country of origin, care instructions and flammability.

Fibre Content

Displaying the material and the fibre percentages of textiles and apparel is a mandatory requirement in the UK. This is specified in the 2012 edition of the Guidance on Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations. These regulations state that information about the main fibre content of a garment must be displayed in percentages, e.g. 100% Cotton.

This labelling description must be understandable to the market in which it will be sold so if you are thinking about selling to other markets, i.e. the European Union, then there are different regulations to consider such as multiple languages and text size.

Country of Origin  

Country of origin is an unusual regulation because there isn’t a compulsory regulation that requires you to display the country of origin within the EU but trading regulations insist that it is necessary to state this to ensure customers are not misled about the country the product was made in.

But hey who doesn’t want to advertise that your wonderful garment is Made in Britain?

Care Labelling

Care labelling is an essential part of you garment finishing and there are many different ways to include care symbols and instructions on your garments. You can use either traditional satin labels that are labels in there own right or even including this information in your logo label or design.

The inclusion of washing instructions is not mandatory in the UK; however, it is strongly encouraged.  We would always recommend the use of GINETEX symbols – the system used throughout Europe.

For the five main symbols and more detailed information plus an explanation on how to use them visit: www.care-labelling.co.uk

Below is an illustration of the five main symbol types:

• Wash Temperature/type
• Bleaching options
• Drying options
• Ironing Temperatures
• Dry Cleaning options

Flammability

A lot of people may over look this part of their care label requirements but it is probably the most important element to a specific type of garment. Nightwear, babies, toddler, and small children’s clothing are required by The Guide to the Nightwear (Safety) Regulations 1985 to carry a permanent label indicating whether they meet the flammability standard BS-5722.

If the garment does meet this standard, the label requires KEEP AWAY FROM FIRE to be clearly displayed on the label in an Arial font at least pt.10 in size in capital letters and in bold AND red. This, is an unavoidable clothing label requirement and if your garment meets the criteria, more guidance can be found on the UK Fashion and Textile Association website.

Hopefully this guide has given you a bit more detail on how to ensure your products get the care they deserve. This will help your products last longer and create the high quality reputation that you are looking to represent your brand. Be sure to think about your care labels and instructions as they are a vital part of your garments finishing.

If you think you may struggle with any aspect of your label design or need help with which instructions you need, feel free to contact us and we can provide you with our expertise you need. To find out our latest news, tips and advice follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Instagram.

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