the office of Competition and Consumer Protection announced in a statement that the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection Tomasz Chróstny issued two decisions in which it stated that consumers were misled by false information about the composition of clothes. It's about the company Lord from Krakow and Polish Clothing Stores in Stare Bystre, which sells clothes under the brand Lavard (currently under restructuring).
As reported, samples for laboratory tests were taken by inspectors Trade Inspection in stores across the country. It was about jackets, suits and suit trousers, and shirts. Employees, accredited Laboratory of Textile Products and Instrumental Analysis of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection in Łódź, checked whether the manufacturers' declarations were true, e.g. about the amount of wool, cotton, polyester.
Customers must trust labels
Chróstny pointed out that consumers cannot independently verify the raw material composition of clothing and must trust the information on the label. “For many people, such information is very important – it affects the price, method of maintenance or use,” said the president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, quoted in the release.
He added that in the case of entrepreneurs selling their products under the Lord and Lavard brands, in many cases customers were misled. “For example, according to the declaration on the label, the trousers were to be made of material that contained 70 percent wool – in fact, there was no wool at all. If consumers had reliable and true information about the composition of the clothing, they might not decide to buy it,” Chróstny said.
Significant penalties for misleading companies
As stated, among the respondents, out of 27 samples of Lavard clothes, 24 did not have the declared raw material composition, and of the 11 samples of Lord clothes, 10 did not have the declared raw material composition.
“In the issued decisions, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection stated that consumers were misled as to the actual composition of clothes and imposed financial penalties on entrepreneurs: Polskie Składy Odzieżowe (Lavard) PLN 3,830,838, Lord PLN 213,478,” the office reported.
He emphasized that after the decision becomes final, entrepreneurs will have to publish information on the decisions of the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection on their websites. Additionally, such a statement will appear in Lavard stationary stores.
Decisions are not final and may be appealed to court.
These are the next men's clothing manufacturers punished
The Office reminded that these are not the only decisions of the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection regarding misleading consumers buying clothes. In March 2022, the following producers of men's formal clothing received a total fine of over PLN 2.1 million: Kubenz, Recman and Dastan Logistics.
The office advises that when buying a jacket, pay attention to the outer fabric and choose it according to your expectations. He stated that the fabric weight usually ranges from 220 to 400 g, which corresponds to the weight of a square meter of a given fabric. The colder it is, the higher the weight should be. When it comes to thread twist, the standard markings are Super 100's, 120's or 130's; they refer to the thickness of the hair from which the thread is made. “The higher the number, the more noble and delicate the fabric is, but also the more susceptible to creases,” the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection informed.
It is also worth paying attention to the wool content and the addition of other fibers. “Merino wool it is comfortable and pleasant to the touch, easy to iron, and does not need to be washed and cleaned frequently. However, it is prone to creases. A slight admixture polyester or polyamide (5-10 percent) increases the resistance of wool fabric to friction,” the office said in its advice to consumers. (PAP)
