Garment Labels: Types, Materials, Application

A label is a tag attached to a garment, and no garment can be sold without some kind of label, often it's required by the importing country's law. Labels inform three parties: the manufacturer, the retailer, and the consumer. They're not a functional part of the garment, but they're essential, and each type carries specific information that must stay legible and durable for the garment's whole life.

The seven label types

Label	Purpose
Main / brand	Brand name/logo; the visible image-builder driving brand-loyal purchase
Care	Permanent wash/care instructions (symbolic or descriptive)
Size	Garment size per the buyer's sizing system
Manufacturer	Buyer's code to trace which factory made it
Batch mark	Internal: which line/batch/checker made it (not usually buyer-required)
Flag	Small brand-logo tag on the outside side seam, mainly a design feature
Special	Draws attention, e.g. "100% Cotton", "Organic Cotton"

Notes

Care labels must stay attached and legible for the product's useful life, warning against wrong washing, bleaching, drying, dry-cleaning, ironing, and colour bleeding. They often also carry fiber content, RN/CA/UPC, size/colour/style#, and country of origin.
Batch-mark and manufacturer labels are traceability tools, one for internal QC, one for the buyer.