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Textile Labeling Fact Sheet in the United States

Mislabeling of luxury fibers in woven and knit garments is a growing problem for U.S. retailers. Many imported fabric suppliers and garment manufacturers misrepresent fiber content in order to unfairly trade on the image of luxury fibers, such as cashmere and camel hair. It is important that retailers are alert to this problem, because both federal and state laws hold retailers responsible for the accuracy of the label information on the garments they sell.

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To help you and your buyers identify potentially mislabeled fabrics and garments before taking delivery, it's important to be familiar with the laws governing textile labeling.

The Wool Products Labeling Act protect consumers and manufacturers from deceptively labeled wool fabrics and mislabeled wool garments. This Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, requires the following labeling information be displayed on any garment labeled as containing wool or fine animal hair.

1. Wool products must be labeled in order of predominance with the percentage of total fiber weight of wool, recycled wool and each fiber other than wool which is 5% or more. If a garment contains a minority percentage of a fiber such as cashmere, for example, it is unlawful to feature the word "cashmere" in such a way as to mislead the consumer by suggesting that all or a majority of the garment consists of that fiber.
2. When a generic name or a fiber trademark is used on any label, complete fiber content disclosure with percentages of all fibers present must be provided on that label.
3. The country of origin of the garment must be stated and, if made in the USA of imported fabric, the label must so state.
4. All information must be in English.
5. The word "all" or "100%" can be used with the correct fiber name when the garment is composed of one kind of fiber.
6. A label must be visible and securely affixed to each wool garment and must remain on the garment until sold to the consumer.

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Retailers should also be aware that deceptive use of the word "cashmere" for blends in advertising and in-store promotion is unlawful.

For more information about wool garment labeling and the issue of mislabeling of cashmere and camel hair products, contact the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute.