Smarty Pants: Testing the Quality of Textiles

We expect that our clothing won’t tear or fade after one wear and its dyes won’t bleed in the wash. But confidence in our garments shouldn’t be taken for granted—we owe much to an oft-overlooked field of study: textile quality assurance. Sean Cormier of the Fashion Institute of Technology details the rigorous yet fun tests that ensure that our clothing doesn’t just match our aesthetic standards, but also meets universal criteria for durability, color-fastness, construction, and safety.