On January 9, shoppers browse winter clothing at a store in Seoul’s Myeongdong district. Recently, controversy has arisen as some clothing brands’ padding fill ratios fail to meet the standards despite their labeling. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, products labeled as “down” must contain at least 75% down feathers. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — In response to recent revelations that several clothing brands misrepresented the down filling ratios in their winter jackets, fashion platforms and apparel companies in Korea are strengthening their quality control measures.
Industry experts are calling for stricter policies, including a “one-strike-out” system that would immediately suspend or remove vendors caught misrepresenting their products, arguing that continued violations could irreparably damage consumer trust.
According to industry sources, fashion platforms are intensifying their oversight of affiliated fashion companies to prevent recurrences of down filling misrepresentation and counterfeit product controversies.
Fashion portal W Concept regularly issues notices to vendors emphasizing the importance of accurate product information, including material composition ratios.
For essential winter items like cashmere scarves, W Concept now requires test certificates before new products can be registered. The platform conducts random product inspections and processes returns and refunds for items found to have incorrect composition ratios, regardless of whether they have been used.
Another fashion platform, Ably, has explicitly included in its vendor terms of service that “products may be restricted from sale and services may be suspended if there are issues with product information labeling.”
Repeated violations can lead to accumulated penalties and eventual removal from the platform. An Ably representative stated that the company is “exploring various improvement measures to prevent composition labeling issues.”
Zigzag, operated by Kakao Style, has also specified in its vendor service terms that sellers have “an obligation to provide accurate product information.” The platform offers refunds and compensation when customers report quality issues.
Major apparel companies are also strengthening their quality control measures. Samsung C&T’s fashion division conducts quality inspections of clothing materials, including down, through leading testing institutions FITI, KATRI, and KOTITI.
For down products, both raw material delivery and finished product composition ratios are tested, including the mix of down and feathers, and the ratio of goose to duck down.
The scandal erupted after domestic fashion brand Lafudge Store was found to have falsely advertised the down content in its Duck Down Arctic Hood Padding jacket. While the product information claimed 80% down filling, the actual down content was only about 3%. The brand will be removed from the Musinsa and 29CM platforms starting April 1.
Winter in Seoul (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Musinsa revealed that other brands including Intempomood, Fairplay, Goodlifeworks, and Dimitri Black also misrepresented down composition ratios in some products. In response, Musinsa has implemented a “three-strikes” policy and begun regular verification of material composition advertisements, focusing on winter clothing items like padding jackets and coats.
E-Land World’s Who.A.U also faced criticism when one of its goose down products was found to contain 30% goose down and 70% duck down, despite advertising 80% goose down content.
The company is currently processing refunds and admitted in an apology that they it relied too heavily on its overseas partners’ quality assurance without conducting proper internal verification.
Professor Lee Eun-hee of Inha University’s Department of Consumer Economics suggests that platforms should implement stronger policies: “Rather than giving multiple chances, they should implement immediate sales suspensions when there is a violation. Officially operating a consumer reporting center could also be effective.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
