You’ve been working on developing a new style- you’ve finally landed on a fabric that you love AND you have a sample that is approved for fit and style. Now what? This is a great time to start thinking about care labels!
Because care labels aren’t necessarily the most exciting part of design, they are often overlooked or put off until later in the design process. As care instructions will make a big difference to the life of the garment, we suggest thinking about care labels earlier in your design process.
Ask your fabric vendor what the recommended wash/care instructions for the fabrics are (it’s a great idea to start doing this during the fabric selection process- for example, if you know you absolutely do not want to choose a fabric that is “Dry Clean Only”, you could rule those swatches out right away). Once you have received the recommended washing instructions from your fabric vendor, we suggest testing it for yourself (check out our blog post “Fabric Testing” for more info on shrinkage, wash/care and more). Keep in mind that the finished garment is more than its fabric- any trims like buttons, zips, interfacing, linings, etc. will all need to be considered in determining the proper care.
MFP has an easy-to-use downloadable template to assist with creating wash care labels here. MFP also offers custom labeling packages- let us know if you would like us to create a labeling package for you!
For more information on the Federal Trade Commission’s care labeling rules, check out this link below!