The Five Functions of Clothing Labels
The five reasons for labels that you will find in any garment are: brand, care, content, size, and country of origin. Essentially, all the basic information about your item will live on one or more labels within your item. How many you choose to use is up to you.
Brand Labels
This is a chance to let your creativity shine. These labels are usually stand alone labels that reflect your personal style and brand identity with a name, logo, color palette, even contact information. It can be big or small, tucked away or integrated into your item’s design. We recommend choosing woven labels for your brand label, and to make sure that your name and logo are the focus of the label (too much information can be distracting).
Care & Content Labels
A care and content label is an informational label attached to any item of clothing or textile you can buy. These tags inform the owner of what material the item is made from, plus specific laundering or washing instructions. This label will likely contain both symbols and multiple lines of text, so a printed label is perfect for this. Many care and content labels also show the country of origin, so consider adding that in if you are trying to reduce the overall number of labels on your item.
Size Labels
Adding a size label to your garments is a good idea if you are planning to make multiple sizes of similar items or plan to sell anything. Size labels can be placed anywhere within a garment, often next to the care label or attached to a brand label. It’s also possible to add the sizing information directly onto any care & content or brand label you already plan to order, however this means you’ll probably need to order a range of labels if you are offering more than one size.
Country of Origin Labels
Country of origin or “Made In ___” labels state the origin of the item produced. Having the origin of a garment is a legal requirement in many countries and is also a great way to celebrate locally and ethically produced items. Sometimes the country of origin is on a care & content label, but if you want to celebrate your item’s heritage, creating a separate tag is a great way to do that.
Hang Tags
Hang tags are meant to call attention to your brand and item in a busy retail setting. They contain info about your product that shoppers will want to know immediately, like price and size, and are displayed in a very visible place on your item. You could also use hang tags as a place to tell your brand story and give new customers a better sense of why your product is special.
