How to read a clothing label

A care label carries a small amount of regulated, factual information: fibre composition by percentage, country of origin, wash and dry symbols, and sometimes a size standard. That is the whole list. Everything else printed near it — a swing tag claim, a slogan on the packaging, a certification logo — is marketing copy the brand chose to add, and it is only as trustworthy as the documentation behind it.

What the label tells you

Composition percentages are the most useful line. "100% cotton" or "95% cotton, 5% elastane" describes what the yarn is spun from, in the proportions a regulator requires the brand to disclose accurately. The wash symbols tell you the harshest treatment the fabric can survive without visible damage — not the gentlest treatment it deserves. Country of origin tells you where the garment was cut and sewn, which is a different fact from where the fibre was grown or the fabric was milled; a label can legitimately say "Made in Portugal" over cotton grown and spun somewhere else entirely.

What it does not tell you

A label does not tell you how the fibre was processed, whether any finish was applied (a wrinkle-resistant resin, a water-repellent coating, a softener), or whether the finished garment was tested against a list of restricted substances. Those are separate claims that need separate evidence. A brand can state "organic cotton" on a hangtag with nothing behind it, or it can back that claim with a GOTS certificate carrying a licence number a shopper can check on the certifier's own database. We treat those two situations very differently, and we say which one we are looking at rather than letting a claim stand on its own.

How we record this

Every product on Qumash carries an evidence level for each claim we display — from a declared statement with no documentation, up to a certificate whose licence number has been checked against the issuer's public database. Where a brand has not given us enough to assess something, we say so directly rather than guessing or defaulting to a good score.

What to look for

• The composition line, read in full, including any lining or trim that is listed separately.
• Whether a certification claim names a scheme and a licence number, not just a logo.
• The wash symbols, read as the fabric's tolerance limit rather than its ideal care routine.
• Country of origin as a manufacturing fact, not a sourcing story.