(Photos: CCTV)

About 17.7 percent of luxury clothing sold by 54 companies in Huangpu and Yangpu districts of Shanghai failed to meet quality standards, Shanghai authority said on January 26.

According to a quality sampling test report released by the Shanghai municipal bureau of industry and commerce on January 26, among the 130 batches of clothing being tested, 23 batches were found unqualified, involving some under well-known international luxury brands Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Max Mara, Givenchy and Marc Jacobs.

All the samples were selected from traditional mainstream distribution channels, such as brand stores and shopping malls. They failed to meet the quality standards in terms of pH value, color fastness, fiber content and pilling. 

The pH value means the clothes will not make the skin itchy if they meet the standards. If clothes fail the color fastness test, consumers may get their skin dyed when wearing.

The fiber content printed on the tag should be in line with the test result. Pilling is the formation of small, fuzzy balls on the surface of a fabric, which makes the clothes look old and worn.

Qiu Baochang, an expert at the China Consumers Association, pointed out that consumers who have bought unqualified clothing due to seller misrepresentation could make claims in accordance with relevant laws.

If sellers are found cheating, consumers can ask for compensation three times the price.

The Shanghai authority has taken preliminary measures to deal with the incident. Relevant stores have been asked to stop selling the unqualified products and pull them off the shelves.

Follow-up work is required to protect consumers’ rights and interests. The case is under further investigation. 

(Compiled by Du Mingming)