Linda Allard for Ellen Tracy
The US labeling law requires listing all fibers greater than 5% of the garment; any fibers serving a
structural purpose such as spandex or nylon; and specifically wool in any amount. However, the law
does not require listing fibers which constitute the threads holding the garment together, any
trimmings, decoration, or applique. The label shows a combination of wool and silk with small
amounts of nylon and spandex, and testing showed it to be accurate...as far as it goes!
Although there was no linen inside the garment, it turned out the problem was in plain sight: the
sleeve turn-‐ups, pocket flap backing, and collar backing were all pure linen. Since these constitute
“trimmings,” linen did not have to be listed on the fabric content label.
Note: see this article
for a better understanding of the US fiber labeling law. If the area
of trimming exceeds 15% of the total area of the garment, then it too
must be listed. However, in this garment the trim represents about
13.5% of the total, so the consumer is foiled again.
At the customer's request all linen was removed, and all traces of fiber or threads carefully eliminated. The removed pieces will become the patterns for the replacement fabric.
