I thought it was worth a mention because people don't realize these companies even exist; they assume that whoever made the sweater, also made the label. And why not? It seems logical, but you have to remember that literally millions of labels are made daily, and even huge companies like M & S use relatively small contractors to make individual lines of garments. The garment factories are often not really factories, at all, more just small shops, and the labeling is an entirely different line of business that they don't and can't get involved in.

The other aspect worth a mention is that the labels in all the cases I have known are made in the country that the store or label is based in, even though the actual products may be - usually are - made in China or elsewhere in the Far East for economy reasons. So whatever the "made in... " label on a sweater reads, don't always assume that only the Chinese or the Koreans are relying on your custom for their jobs. Domestic contractors are often involved, too.

Ironically I have known the material quality specified for a label to be of a higher standard than the garment. When you think of it, the reason is clear - in the store, when you are looking at the label to check the size, or the instructions, it has to have a quality look and feel or it implies that the garment itself is cheaply made (it probably is, anyway, but it's the image that counts). A piece of fabric worth a cent may make or break the sale of a garment costing thousands of times that much. You might say, well, no, nobody's really going to choose one product over another just based on some little label - and that sounds reasonable, but it's wrong. Sales are heavily influenced by what a customer feels about a product at the point of sale, and even a small detail out of place can make a difference.

asked by Chris O. on 6/30/10