Miscellaneous Definitions — accessories, trims, tools and general fashion terms from Apparel Search
A label is the identifying tag sewn into or attached to a garment. Clothing labels carry the information a garment cannot say for itself: the brand that made it, the size it was cut to, the fibers it contains, the care it requires and the country where it was made. Some of that information is branding chosen by the maker, and some of it — fiber content, care and origin in many markets — is disclosure required by labeling rules for the protection of the buyer.
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Learn more about clothing labels and other types of labels used in the apparel industry. You can also check out the clothing label definitions to further educate yourself regarding clothing labels. Learn how Apparel Search defines woven labels and printed labels. Find more clothing label factories. |
The stock type will affect the types of ink that will print well on them.
Corona treating or "zapping" makes a substrate more receptive to inks.
Ink and base stock color choices commonly conform to the Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors. The Pantone system is very dominant in the label printing industry. Additionally specialty inks such as metallic, UV ink, magnetic ink, and more are available. Ink is usually transparent however it can be made opaque. It has been known for certain companies to patent "their own" color.
Special labels:
"Stickers" are very widely used when an object requires identification with a word or idea. Brand stickers may be attached to products to identify those products as coming from a certain company. They may also be used to describe characteristics of the products that would not be obvious from simple examination. They are frequently distributed as part of promotional, advertising, and political campaigns; for example, in many voting districts in the US, stickers indicating an individual has voted are given to each voter as they leave the polling place, largely as a reminder to others to vote. Other methods of underground forms of voting for your favorite graffiti artists' current productions are by an open form of appreciation such as clapping while passing such a sticker (a smile and a kind reminder to a fellow appreciater throughout the day is common place as well).
Stickers placed on automobiles, called bumper stickers, are often used by individuals as a way of demonstrating support for political or ideological causes. Identification of vehicle registration and last service details are two examples of stickers on the inside of most car windscreens.
Barcodes are frequently used on many products as a convenient way of identification.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/label). 2/6/06 |
A clothing label does three kinds of work at once. The first is branding: the woven name at the back of a neck is often the only place a maker's identity physically travels with the garment, and designers treat that small rectangle as seriously as a logo anywhere else — woven in damask for softness on fine garments, printed for speed and economy, or executed as a leather or metal patch on jeans and outerwear. The second job is information for use: size, and the care instructions that tell the owner how to wash, dry, iron and clean the item without ruining it, given in words and in the standard care symbols. The third job is legal disclosure. Fiber content must be declared so buyers know what they are wearing and can avoid fibers they are allergic to or do not wish to buy; country of origin must be stated; and the maker must be identifiable. A label is thus simultaneously an advertisement, an instruction manual and a compliance document, in about two square inches.
The forms follow the jobs. Main labels identify the brand and sit at the neck or waistband. Size labels may be woven into the main label or attached separately so one garment run can serve several size markings. Care and content labels, often long printed ribbons sewn into a side seam, carry the fiber percentages, care symbols and origin statement in small type, sometimes in several languages for export markets. Hang tags — the card tags attached for retail and removed at purchase — are labels too in the trade sense, carrying price, style number, barcode and brand story, though unlike sewn labels they are not meant to stay with the garment.
Woven labels are produced on narrow looms, with the design formed by the threads themselves; they resist washing and wear for the life of the garment and do not crack or fade the way surface print can, which is why they dominate in mid-range and premium apparel. Printed labels are made by printing text onto satin, cotton or synthetic ribbon; they carry long regulatory text and multilingual care information more cheaply and legibly than weaving can. Heat-transfer labels print directly onto the garment's inner surface and are common in T-shirts and athletic wear, where any sewn tag would chafe. Each choice balances cost, comfort, durability and the amount of information the law and the brand together require.
Labels also anchor the garment's identity after sale. Resale, repair, recalls and authenticity checks all begin from the label: its brand, its registered identification, its style and season codes. Removing a label removes that record, which is why cut labels mark de-branded surplus goods in the trade. The definition is small — a piece of material carrying identification — but the label is the garment's paperwork, and in the apparel industry paperwork that travels sewn inside the product itself is a system no other consumer good quite matches.
A clothing label is the small tag attached to a garment that identifies it. Labels typically carry the brand name, size, fiber content, care instructions and country of origin.
In the United States, textile labeling rules require fiber content, country of origin and the identity of the manufacturer or a registered identification number, and care labeling rules require instructions for cleaning the garment.
A woven label has its text and design woven into the label fabric itself, usually on a small loom, giving a durable, premium finish. A printed label has the information printed onto ribbon or fabric, which is cheaper and can carry more detail.