Quality Evalution
Value Addition To Garment
A new concept of value addition
Apparel trade in post quota regime has transformed the business world to a global village. Undoubtedly, there is more competition on a level playing field since dependence of quota profile is no more be an advantage of any country. To survive in this network, there is a paradigm shift towards attitude in working out strategies in the garment arena. Assurance of international standards, product innovation and adaptability to changing tastes of consumers are some of the areas of current interest. To win over apparel consumers, manufacturers, brands and retailers are struggling hard to identify "product value". Undoubtedly, fashion sells, but only to a point, beyond which many consumers are searching values in apparel. Traditionally, "value" is been defined as a function of price and quality. However, today's consumers are redefining value to include reliability of the product performance - they are asking whether product is assured in actual use or not.
# Does the garment shrink?
# Will it loose colour?
# What about its durability?
# Will the body torque?
These are some of the valid questions which shall be valued to addressing the real life situation in value addition to garment.
Testing - is it for only meeting the requirement?
When consumers buy apparels they suspect about the quality and expect some change in shape and colour after washing. But the degree, to which this happens, entails the difference between satisfaction and disappointment. Prediction of such performance is only possible through comprehensive testing services. Many garment properties are important to the final customer. Some are highly specialized in nature, but there is a core series of tests that are applicable depending on the end use of the product. There exist internationally recognized standards applicable for Europe and United States and broadly denoted as ISO, BS, EN, BSEN, DIN, ASTM, and AATCC. In addition, many retailers around the world have their own standards and test methods. Methodology and equipment vary but basic objectives remain the same.
Is our apparel product over-engineered, under-engineered, or exactly meeting expectation?
Answer is simple and straight. Without any stretching it can be easily said that a comprehensive apparel testing service can only help the consumers to predict how a textile or garment will perform in actual use.
But another school of thought often asks us: Is there anything going beyond requirement testing?
Performance evaluation - why so important in Value Addition?
There is no doubt that a common concern in apparel is the dimensional stability. Accelerated test methods are applied to wash and dry at the recommended conditions and careful measurement of any changes in dimensions determine the product ability to withstand the "care label" recommendations. Don't worry. Standards do exist to advise on the recommended values of your product.
Side seam twisting or garment torque for knitted goods is the most common problem which can be quantified by appropriate test method.
Controversy arises while marking and taking measurement. Experts in Garment testing can be approached for right solution.
Apparel products fade due to various actions. It can be a particular problem with lower cost materials and processes, where insufficient care is been taken during dyeing, or sometimes because of the limitations of technology. In general, the tests measure the degree to which the colour changes when treated in a way that simulates the conditions of use such as washing, drycleaning, water, perspiration, rubbing, chlorine and non-chlorine bleach, chlorinated water, light, gas fume fading, ozone fading and print durability. Many tests also measure the degree of colour transfer on uncoloured fibers in the same environment.
It is not uncommon that white underwear turns to coloured pink when washed with a red sweater.
Use of a multi-fiber strip which consists of sections of different fiber types, namely acetate, cotton, nylon, polyester, acrylic and wool is an essential part in certain tests to judge such staining behaviours.
Requirement of appropriate testing method and its proper application are of paramount importance in arriving at a conclusion of suitability of apparel intended for a specified end use.
Conditions require for testing fashion apparel fading when exposed to light being different with respect to testing the fading of upholstery in a car interior.
These different end uses need to be accounted for during testing, even though the fading of either product under their normal conditions of use will cause a problem.
Durability of a garment is another important criterion to predict its permanence in use.