Quality requirements for clothing materials

This chapter reviews the importance of quality in textile materials and details some of the key requirements desired by consumers. The chapter then discusses the physical characteristics of fabrics, such as material construction, mass, finished width, design and other characteristics. The following sections deal with the specific performance characteristics of fabrics, such as: colour fastness, breaking strength, seam slippage, resistance to abrasion and pilling, and dimensional stability. The importance of care labelling for clothing and the Eco-Tex 100 standard are discussed. The chapter concludes by considering the impact of material testing on quality assurance.