The Edinburgh Woollen Mill has found itself in hot water as the high street
retailer stands accused of using a blend of cheaper alternatives, such as
sheep wool, in scarves labelled as 100 percent cashmere.
The Langholm-based fashion retailer is set to appear in court this Friday
at Dumfries, following numerous allegations they mislabel items which
consist of mixed cashmere with sheep and yak wool as well as synthetic
materials.
The clothing retailer, which outsources its cashmere, is set to “vigorously
defend” itself against these accusations as they claim their products are
routinely subject to “robust independent testing” by experts to ensure the
product materials authenticity as part of the textile labelling and fibre
composition regulations of 2012.
The case against the 265-store retailer comes amidst growing concern
regarding the quality and production of cashmere. In 2014, Italian police
seized over 1 million cashmere items from Chinese-run apparel firms in Rome
which claimed to be 100 percent pure but consisted of a mixture of
synthetic materials like acrylic and viscose as well as fur from rats and
other animals.
“There is a significant problem on the British high street,” said Karl
Spilhaus, president of the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufactures Institute
(CCMI) to the Sunday Times. “We have tested many products and found a
significant amount of mislabelling.”
The organization has previously complained to the Advertising Standards
Authority in regards to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill adverts, claiming that
its “pure cashmere” scarves were not 100 percent cashmere. However, their
complaint was dropped once the clothing retailer shown
test results which showed the products in question were authentic.