KC Weddings .net - Ripping Tags from Bridal Gowns

Why Salons Shouldn’t Rip Tags From Bridal Gowns
By Dorothea Salo

The Problem
You walk into a bridal shop and there it is... the dress. You try it on, and it looks and fits the way you always knew it would...

Then you look for the tag and it’s not there. The salesperson tells you non-chalantly, “Oh, we always take them out; you can find out the manufacturer when you order.”

You’re suddenly unhappy. Perhaps you’re allergic to rayon, or you really love the look and feel of genuine silk. Perhaps it matters to you where your gown was made, because you try not to buy textiles from countries that employ sweatshop labor, or you are aware that different countries have differing standards in garment quality.

You are entitled to this information. The United States government believes consumers have a right to know what their garments are made of, where they were made, and how to care for them, every textile product for sale in the United States of America must contain tags with:

the name of one business involved in the production and distribution of the product,
the fiber content of the product,
whether it’s domestic or imported, and
how to wash and care for it.

Certain exceptions to this law exist, but none of them covers our hypothetical bridal shop.

Removing tags from bridal gowns is a pervasive scam appearing in bridal salons across the nation. Here’s what you need to know to avoid falling for this bridal gown scam

Some Details
Every manufacturer is required to put two sets of information in every garment produced. One tag must be a “care label” describing how to best launder and care for the item; this tag must be sewn in, and must never be removed from any garment for any reason. The other tag may be conspicuous hang-tag and it must contain:

The name of one link in the production chain. This may be the manufacturer, the retail store, or any other company involved in the distribution of the gown. Any of these may be identified by name or by the Registered Identification Number which the company must file with the FTC. The product’s fiber content. The country or countries of manufacture. There are certain exceptions in the law for garments for which sewing in a tag is fairly awkward (socks, for example) but bridal gowns and other dresses must have tags.

These tags cannot be removed by someone selling the garment retail with one important exception. If the company selling the gown removes a tag with some or all of the legally required information on it, the company must put in a new tag containing exactly the same information required by law, but including also the name of the company making the tag substitution. The stores are also required to keep records relating to any tags they remove. The care tag may not be removed under any circumstances.

The dodge “Well, we’re not selling this exact gown; the gown you receive will have a tag!” is also unacceptable, according to the FTC’s own interpretation of these laws. The FTC states that samples used to sell textiles must be correctly labeled.

The practice (reported by many brides-to-be) of salons substituting a tag which contains nothing but a number referring to the salon’s own arcane filing system is quite illegal. Be careful not to confuse this with the permitted practice of using Registered Identification Numbers of companies rather than their names. If this is what the salon decides to do, the salon is within the law as long as they have also included fiber content information on the tag.

Am I Entitled To The Manufacturer’s Name?
No. The salon can legally take out a tag with the manufacturer’s name, and substitute one with its own name, or the name of its distributor. They can also use Registered Identification Numbers instead of names. No law requires them to disclose the manufacturer of a dress to you.

Bridal salons complain brides-to-be check out their samples, have salon employees help them find their size, get extensive advice, and then go order their gowns from a low-cost internet site. Keep in mind that gown samples are not free for salons, and employees have to be paid. These services are included in the price of the gowns. Tag-ripping developed as a way to protect the salon’s business, even though it is a solution which is illegal and unfair to consumers.

Here's what you should do when you find a salon which is acting according to law, but still not providing a manufacturer’s name: