Flow Society

What is up with apparel companies getting rid of the drawstrings in clothing now? The Consumer Product Safety Commission has recently passed new clothing requirements. Clothing that contains drawstrings that do not meet the federal requirements for bottoms (sizes 2T to 16) and neck or hood tops (sizes 2T to 12) can present a substantial hazard to the consumer. The overall requirement is no more than 3 inches of drawstring should be hanging outside of the clothing and it the string must be sewn at the midpoint so it cannot be pulled out of the shorts completely[1].

There have been several incidents that have sparked these regulations such as with Macy’s and Burlington Coat Factory. Back in July of 2011, Macy’s had to pay $750,000 fine and Burlington a whopping $1.5 million in civil penalty for selling drawstring equipped children’s clothing that exposed danger to the children wearing the clothing.[2] The Federal Law requires manufacturers, distributors and retailers to let the Consumer Product Safety Commission know of any clothing not meeting the requirements within 24 hours of realizing the clothing has not been produced to federal law requirements. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reported between 1985 to April 2011, 56 reports of neck or hood drawstrings of upper outerwear became entangled, 18 reports of deaths due to entanglement, 28 reports of waist drawstrings getting entangled and 8 deaths when a waist drawstring got caught in a bus and the bus pulled away[3].

Because there is a possibility of a child getting hurt, Flow Society will not make any clothing with drawstrings on the waistline or neckline. Flow Society has decided that the most important thing is the safety of our consumers especially the children wearing the clothing.  We would never want a child’s life to be endangered because of our clothing. At the end of the day, our biggest concern is our consumer and their well-being.

          [1] Bureau Veritas: CPSC’s Final Rule on Drawstrings and Ties Will Take Effect on August 18, 2011.http://www.bureauveritas.com/wps/wcm/connect/9c046000484b04bb87e5f737223d7921/Bulletin_11B-135.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

[2] Macy’s to Pay $750K Fine for Peddling Deadly Hoodies. http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/07/12/macy-s-to-pay-750k-fine-for-peddling-deadly-hoodies/