"Worldwide, there is a growing sense concern about the quality standard of some of international brands. Of late, quality issues of some of top clothing brands have surfaced out in the open. According to AQSIQ some of the imported industrial products have not qualified the quality measures in June 2016. The products failed to pass the required standards in terms of colour fastness, pH value indicating the presence of excess formaldehyde"

Worldwide, there is a growing sense concern about the quality standard of some of international brands. Of late, quality issues of some of top clothing brands have surfaced out in the open. According to AQSIQ some of the imported industrial products have not qualified the quality measures in June 2016. The products failed to pass the required standards in terms of colour fastness, pH value indicating the presence of excess formaldehyde. As per reports, H&M branded man-made fibres, knitted men's t-shirt imported from Turkey by Haiensimolisi (Shanghai) Commerce had to be destroyed as pH values were high similarly Uniqlo imported men’s denim shirts from Bangladesh, was returned as PH values are not upto the mark. Shockingly, some of the biggest names like Eleven Paris, Levis, Versace, and Topman fall in this list.

Sub standard clothes a health risk

Excess pH values in clothing destroy the acid-base balance, causing skin allergy. It is understood that the garment dyeing and processing process, inevitably get exposed to many chemicals, so a range of pH values is a good barrier to ensure skin health. Because normal human skin pH value is acidic, and can protect the body against infection but in fashion industry pH value is found to be too highly alkaline causing skin irritation, burns, bacteria, etc. Similarly, high formaldehyde content can also stimulate the skin and mucosa, leading to respiratory diseases. It is worth mentioning that, formaldehyde in clothing is also a big problem. Formaldehyde is mainly used for wrinkle, shrink-proofing, color brightness. However, manufacturers are using cheap additives that contain formaldehyde, that result in people wearing them, the chemical is gradually released in the course and may enter the respiratory tract, eyes, and skin thereby causing complications and illnesses.

Since 2011 the national and local government in China has issued import expansion policies for imported clothes and inspection of batches for five consecutive years. However, there is gap in the quality of imported clothing and consumer demand. Hence, quality and safety needs to be improved.

Supply chain management exposes vulnerability

Recently, Giorgio Armani (Shanghai) trading company recall plan was submitted to the State administration for quality supervision. However, the punishment is weak. With China’s economic development and high consumption level, 'fast fashion ' brands in China are being gobbled up. Single regulatory management remains primary means of garment quality control. What's more, can sampling assure quality, fundamentally speaking, it all depends on the fabrics and accessories. Indeed producers have the obligations to subject their products to inspection or entrust a third party inspection, before entering the market.