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False Label

I have stopped paying attention to fabric labels for a long time now. The first time was when something I bought was labeled as silk, but clearly nylon. The merchant did not fuss about the return but the event opened my eyes to the fact that the labels were decorative and should not be taken seriously. This article breaks down the reasons why accuracy of such labels is a hard goal to achieve. The item in question changes hands too many times to have its chain of provenance correctly accounted for and there is plenty of room to introduce false data along the way

A typical supply chain in the textile industry can be incredibly complex, with separate facilities, often in different countries, completing each step in the process. Cotton grown in Egypt might be shipped to India to be spun into yarn in one facility, woven into a fabric in another, then sent to Portugal to be cut and sewn, before being sold in a department store in London.

Both my grandmothers used to wear pure cotton sarees in white or very light colors. This was their every day attire. The borders of the saree would be intricate or not based on whether it was meant to be worn around the house or outside. I remember how that fabric left to touch when new and as it grew older and softer. When they were visiting our home, I helped them starch and iron those sarees. Some of those old sarees got a second lease of life in the form of a kantha usually made for one of us grandkids. I know what cotton feels to touch and just about nothing that is labeled is pure cotton feels anything like it. It is a crude way to measure, but works for me - I know the cottons I wear now are not the real thing and it one of the many signs of the times we live in. 

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