Boohoo has opened its own in-house lab to ensure the durability and performance of its garments. Retail Week took a visit to learn more.

Located in the basement of the fashion group’s Manchester headquarters, Boohoo Lab has been set up to create fast, efficient and cost-effective testing for its garments.

With a variety of different technologies, including X-ray fluorescent (XRF) guns, dye-migration testing and state-of-the-art washers and dryers, all Boohoo’s samples can be checked to ensure they will perform to a high standard in the hands of the customer.

“First and foremost, as a business, we buy and sell garments to our customers,” Boohoo head of product compliance Hannah Williamson told Retail Week.

“Having a function in our business to ensure that our products perform in line with our expectations and continue to delight and manage our customers’ expectations is key to our success.

“That’s not the only reason we decided to build our own lab as there are third-party labs out there that any supplier could use if they wanted to. Where we’re different is that we’ve taken the initiative under our Agenda for Change to look at our business and understand what we can do more to support our business and our suppliers.

”This lab provides insight for us. It allows us to bring our brands and our buying teams together, put a garment into a washing machine, for example, and visually demonstrate why a product may not meet our standards.”

The opening of the lab comes as Boohoo’s Agenda for Change reached a conclusion with Sir Brian Leveson’s final report to the board published last week.

Leveson, however, said that Boohoo’s work was not yet complete and that his final report marked not “the beginning of the end of the process, but merely the end of the beginning”. 

“Rather than working with a third party, we’ve put in the investment ourselves. It serves all 13 brands, which gives us a big opportunity”

Hannah Williamson, Boohoo

As part of this bid to do better, Boohoo Lab seeks to help educate and support suppliers and buyers in making better decisions going forward, while also supporting the group’s sustainability goals.

Williamson added: “No product, no supplier and no business is ever perfect, but customers want a product to last. They have no intention of buying a garment and wearing it once – they want to be able to pull that same product out time and time again and make sure it doesn’t look rubbish. 

“Rather than working with a third party, we’ve put in the investment ourselves. It serves all 13 brands, which gives us a big opportunity.

“We’ve done a lot of work in creating the right supply base for the Boohoo Group. In doing all of that good action, we’ve been left with a good strong network of suppliers who are not only supplying us but others on the high street and others of our brands.

“We’re making sure that if there are improvements to be made or education needed, we can provide it to our suppliers independently from the realms of the buying floor.”

The importance of high-tech tools

Each garment can be put through a number of different tests to ensure it is of the best quality. Tests include a dye-migration test, where materials such as dark-wash denim are rubbed against white cloth to check whether the dye will transfer and then graded out of five.

Sample garments are measured and washed first once and then three times, and then compared to see whether any shrinkage or fraying of the seams has occurred.

Boohoo has also invested in a machine that mimics saltwater at high temperatures to test the performance of its swimwear, along with XRF guns.

“It’s a gun that you scan different components with, which will tell us whether there are any nasty restricted chemicals in them,” Williamson said, showing Retail Week how it worked.

“We use this for accessories, PU leathers, handbags, belt buckles, trims, etc. If a reading pops up, we’ll then send it to a third party to make sure that we are legally compliant.”

Another element of testing comes in if a customer has made a complaint about a garment. Boohoo will analyse its pH levels to see whether it could potentially contain an irritant. 

Williamson explained: “Different people’s skin can be more sensitive than others and will respond to acidic or alkaline substances – and this comes down to the balance of pH within our own skin.

“Garments go through a number of processes to get their form, shape, colour and appearance, and if that’s not processed correctly you can sometimes be left with some residual materials on that garment. If the pH isn’t rectified, the customer could be left feeling irritated by the fabric.”

The lab has been created in partnership with international testing, inspections and certifications specialist TÜV Rheinland, which has been involved to ensure the right equipment and properly-trained technicians are on hand.

Going forward, Boohoo said that it hopes to use the lab as an educating tool for its buyers to show them how their decisions affect the outcome of a garment. It added that it may look to open a second lab in its London office.

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