FCC, Jones Reach $300,000 Care-Labeling Settlement
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it has reached a $300,000 settlement with Jones Apparel Group Inc. following allegations that the New York apparel maker violated the FTC’s Care Labeling Rule on various occasions between 1998 and 2000.
Jones Apparel Group produces 18 nationally recognized brands, including Jones New York; Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Ralph by Ralph Lauren and Polo Jeans Co., which are licensed from Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.; Evan-Picone; Rena Rowan; and Todd Oldham, among others. The company also recently purchased the Gloria Vanderbilt Corp.
The FTC charged that the company sold garment styles containing false instructions on the care labels. In some cases the garments were faded or damaged as a result of being dry-cleaned, and certain cashmere sweaters labeled “dry-clean only” could be hand-washed safely by consumers, according to the FTC.
Neither the FTC nor Jones Apparel Group would comment on the exact number of styles bearing incorrect instructions, although the FTC maintains it was “a small percentage of the company’s national output.”
“We have not admitted to any violations, although the allegations involve a handful of styles out of the thousands we do,” explained Ira Dansky, general counsel for Jones Apparel Group. “We are confident that our care-label procedures are in compliance with the FTC’s Care Labeling Rule. We settled this matter to avoid the cost and time involved in a dispute.”
FTC spokesman Mitchell J. Katz said the recent settlement is one of the largest the FTC has ever obtained against a clothing manufacturer for a Care Labeling Rule violation, adding that the case is similar to a 1999 action against Tommy Hilfiger, in which the company was alleged to have omitted care-labeling information, resulting in garment bleeding and fading with certain garments. —Claudia Figueroa
