Labelling is a legal requirement for manufacturing fashion garments and although the symbols don’t change all that much across the world, there are a couple of differences depending on where you sell. However, if you are intending to sell across the world, I would always recommend going with either US or European symbols as they cover the most countries and standards.
The legal requirements have added care guidance and symbols to garment labels mainly to stop law suits coming from customers who damage their items due to washing or cleaning. The law states that if the Brand producing the garments don’t tell the consumer how to care for their products, then the fashion brand itself is responsible for the damage caused to that garment, and any other damage caused to other clothing, washing machines and any other appliance. However, if you tell the customer how to take care of the product and they ignore it, then the problem is theirs alone.
The important thing to remember is to tell the customer exactly how to care for their garment. Simple is best. Be clear and be direct because otherwise it may cause contusion. The good news is that many companies and factories will sell you pre printed care labels now if you’re not sure how to tell. There are also various tests you can use to work out the fibre content of the materials, but if you are using a large quantity of fabric, you will also need to have the fabric tested by an independent testing house, and the report that they produce should tell you what care the fabric needs.
So if you’re not sure what to use or what they all mean, then here is a free download of 74 Care labels and what they mean. Click HERE to download the pdf