There are no garments without tags, or to be more precise, there are no garments without some obligatory info such as composition, size info, etc. 

I say this because, there are some very new technologies such as the heat transfer labels that allow achieving tagless apparel, by applying all the info directly on the garment, without the necessity to add an extra trim and tag to the garment. 

Let’s see what tags type and information you should always include 🙂

Tag Types and their Information

Next time you go shopping, start analyzing the tags the garments present; you will realize that every brand chooses different tags types, and information to include in their garment. This information can only be shared thanks to some extra trims applied to the garment: the TAGS or LABELS. 

Some information is mandatory per law, some other for stocking-sake, for the client awareness, for safety reasons, and more.

Keep in mind that every country has its own regulations in terms of importing/exporting/selling a certain item. Therefore, make sure you get acquainted with the jurisdiction of the countries in which you wish to produce and distribute your line!

To summarize and simplify the tags cataloging, we can see there are 4 main categories: 

• Brand Tags:

• • Brand Name / Logo
  • Size Information (optional)

• Care Tags: 

• • • Fabric Composition
    • Care instructions 
      • How to Wash?
      • How to Dry?
      • How to Iron?
    • MADE IN info
    • Size Information (optional)
• Size Tags: 

• • Size info >> in case it wasn’t expressed in one of the above tags

• Hang Tags: 

• • Brand Name / Logo
  • Size Information (optional)
  • All other extra info: As you will notice by reviewing the other brands’ work, some also share their motto, extra info on the production process, where the garment was designed, and so on.

Tags Product Development

We did not touch the Tag Topic in our previous sections because not many providers are willing to develop you one sample of your tag, in the correct quality, dimension, color, and artwork.  

The normal procedure during product development is the following: 

• Choose the QUALITY you want for your tags
  • Your selected provider will send you past-production tags in your chosen quality as samples for you to evaluate and pick your favorite. 
• Develop the ARTWORK
  • Design the Layout 
  • Choose the Dimension and Colors 

Once quality and artworks are approved, you can proceed directly to production, quite confident the tag will turn out as imagined. 

If you are a control freak and you really want to make sure the outcome is as you wish you can ask the provider to develop a pre-production unit for you to check (keep in mind that you will surely incur a tooling fee).

Tags Production and MOQ(s)

Don’t be alarmed when the provider shares the Tags Minimum Order Quantity. This number always fluctuates between 2000 and 3000 units. 

Also, you will need to accept the fact that tags MOQ is high whether they are cut from sheets or rolls, whether they are woven, printed, or heat applied.

For this exact reason, it is preferable to produce tags that you are sure you can use also in your next collection, and maybe keep them quite basic.

There are tags that contain info that will probably change from collection to collection such as the composition, the care instructions (it is unlikely you will use the same fabrics twice), or the MADE IN – info.

Based on what we have just stated here we share some of Urth Apparel’s Tips:

• If you have a limited budget you might want to choose a cheaper option quality for the care label (also considering it is normally the first one, together with the hangtag to be cut off!) and invest in a higher quality for the brand tag, for instance, that will surely be reused.
• You might want to include all variable information on one only tag (the care tag perhaps)  to keep all the others in stock and have the possibility to use them again.

Your logo, brand name, size range, this is all info that will, or at least should, remain the same 🙂

Regulamentation & Necessary Information

As previously mentioned, every country has its own, production, exporting, importing, selling laws and rules, and it is better to make sure you have them clear before starting any kind of business in a foreign country. 

There are countries that do not allow any goods manufactured inside their territory to be exported without such information expressed on them.

Some countries request the kids’ apparel to present certain special requirements and these need to also be reported on a tag applied to the garment. 

Technical garments might need some extra and special notes to be specified, and so on.