An important thing to make sure your garments are perfect is doing a quality check. But one thing that a lot of people do not know is that quality check can be more than just checking each product inside and out, but also doing proper testing. This is a niche of the fashion industry that is very technical and involves a lot of training. When we are talking about testing, we are talking about technology and engineering.
This is a very specific niche in the fashion industry, and a lot of people do not even know this exists. As I mentioned, it is very technical and involves a lot of technology and engineering. There are different testings for each specific type of garment and most brands that do wholesale require testing before starting the production - especially when it is high volume. This is a great way of leaving no room for error and making sure the product will meet quality standards.
Natural, organic, or recycled materials, stretch fabrics, different types of prints, garments with embellishment, kids garments… All of these involve a different type of testing protocol properly applied to meet the standards of the brand. For example, depending on the type of fabric you are using, the material can be flame retardant, so a flammability test is needed. How is it tested? The laboratory will take a piece of the fabric and apply different levels of flame and check if, according to the USA standard for flammability, is acceptable and the garment will not be an issue if it catches fire when in the body. Pretty cool, huh?
Most big chains like Walmart and Forever 21 do not accept products without testing. It is super interesting and is very important, but it can also take time and it is expensive. The laboratory used needs to be certified, needs to be specialized in the type of garment being tested, and, obviously, needs to follow the US standard protocols. Different labs provide testing services in America, but there are also great labs that can help you with testing offshore, so depending on where you are producing, you can test with local labs - which also saves a lot of money in shipments back and forth.
No, testing is not required in all kinds of garments. A lot of brands do testing for their own quality control. As I mentioned, most big chains require testing before approving production, especially when it is a high quantity or wholesale. After all, if you are a store buying thousands of units from different brands, you need to make sure all these garments will not result in returns. But, even though testing is not always required, it is important to think about investing in it. Doing a proper test and creating a quality control will help you to avoid production mistakes, will help you to keep consistency, and will help you to build customer loyalty, as your clients will learn that your products will always meet quality standards.
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