How to create the perfect care labels
If you sell clothing or garments, then you’ll need to attach a care label to it. Find out what you need to include and how to brand it.
A care label is a way of conveying information about a garment or item of clothing you are making or selling.
It can be away of branding your product, or providing important information for a customer. Here are some things you might consider including on your care labels:
- Your brand name
- Your logo
- Your tagline
- The size of the item
- Where the item was made
- What the item is made from
- Any care instructions, such as washing or ironing
- Manufacturer identification
- Whether it is flammable
- Style number
What to consider for branded care labels
When planning your care label, consider its purpose. If it’s at the neck or top of a garment, its purpose might be to show your brand or brand values, and let a customer know what size the item is.
As these labels are one o the first things a customer will see, and can help to play a part in their purchasing decision, it’s worth putting some thought and design into the label’s look and feel.
A cheap-lookup label that’s poorly printed isn’t going to reassure them of the quality of the item, nor the prestige of your brand. So unless your item is cheap and functional, it’s worth ensuring your care label makes a good impression.
What to include on functional care labels
Labels that are usually found inside a garment, often down a side seam, tend to be more functional. This is where you expect to find information about the product’s fabrication, construction and after-purchase care.
Remember to include any important washing and other care instructions. (You can read a guide to what different care symbols mean here.)
Customers don’t usually expect these care labels to be branded, but they must be easy to read and contain the information they need.
Sometimes customers will refer to the labels before deciding whether or not to purchase too. They might look for garments manufactured in their home country, for example, or of a particular fabric. Or they may prefer clothes that are easy to wash.
So while these care labels may not immediately appear important, they require as much thought as branded care labels on the neck.
Make good use of your care labels to really sell your brand
Some brands just use perfunctory, plain explanatory copy. But other brands make good use of witty microcopy to bring even a humble care label to life and show their brand personality.
Likewise, some brands spend more on their labels, perhaps paying to have their logo printed on them, or investing in better quality materials and printing to ensure that their care labels really reflect their brand values and character.
Make sure your care labels adhere to the law
Depending on where your business is based, there may be strict rules about what you need to include on your care labels.
Consumer protection agencies in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have stringent care labelling requirements, and you can read the textile and clothing legislation for the EU here.
Some independent organizations, such as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) also have their own labelling requirements that you need to follow if you wish to receive certification.
