What is Quality?
The common element of the business definitions is that the quality of a product or service refers to the perception of the degree to which the product or service meets the customer's expectations. Quality has no specific meaning unless related to a specific function and/or object.
The business meanings of quality have developed over time. Various interpretations are given below:
- When the “fitness for use” concept is applied to a garment it must be free from defects such as stains fabric defects, open seams, misaligned buttons and button holes, defective zippers, etc.
- Fit properly to the wearer (as per labeled size).
- The product must perform satisfactorily in normal use. This means a garment must be able to withstand normal laundering and dry cleaning cycles without color loss or shrinkage, seams must not come apart, fabric must not tear, etc.
Importance of Quality Control in garment manufacturing
Apparel and garments are fashion products. The value of the garment items depends on their quality level. In case quality does not meet the required standards, customers can lodge complaints against the brand, and the brand then charges a penalty amount to the supplier who made the defective garments.
To maintain the quality of the apparel items, manufacturers and buyers follow quality standards. They follow the quality standard in sourcing materials, making garments, and quality auditing the packed garments.
Manufacturers understand the importance of maintaining the product quality. That is why they place quality checkpoints in all stages of the production process. They check the incoming raw materials before using them for making garments. They get third-party quality testing for their raw materials. Before handing over the finished goods to the buyer, they audit the packed garments to ensure that no defective garments are packed by mistake.
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