Let’s talk about the clothing tag.
That tiny square of fabric sewn into the back of your shirt with all the tenderness of a piece of sandpaper.
It scratches. It pokes. It finds the same spot on your neck all day long.
So you cut it out.
Problem solved.
Except now there’s a tiny piece left behind. That itches, too.
So you go back in with the scissors.
Closer.
Closer.
And...you cut a hole in your shirt.
Excellent.
Thankfully, some clothing companies have asked a remarkably sensible question:
What if we just didn't put the tag there?
We would like to recognize these people.
A Small Thing That Can Be a Big Thing
For many of us, tags are annoying. For others, they can make clothing genuinely difficult to wear.
Research with autistic adults has found that labels, tags and seams can be uncomfortable, abrasive and irritating. Participants described cutting tags out of their clothing, only to find that the pieces left behind could make the irritation worse. Uncomfortable clothing sensations were also associated with distraction, anxiety and difficulty concentrating.
Source: Kyriacou, C., Forrester-Jones, R. & Triantafyllopoulou, P. (2023). “Clothes, Sensory Experiences and Autism: Is Wearing the Right Fabric Important?” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 53, 1495–1508. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05140-3.
And sensory sensitivity is only part of the story.
Consider someone who cannot reach behind their neck to adjust a tag. Someone who cannot communicate exactly what is bothering them. Someone with sensitive skin. Someone who spends much of the day seated or lying against a label. Or a child trying to concentrate while something scratches their neck.
Different circumstances.
Same irritating little rectangle.
The Great Tag Removal Operation
We have somehow accepted a strange ritual:
Buy shirt. Find tag irritating. Locate scissors. Attempt minor garment surgery.
Why?
If so many of us routinely remove something immediately after buying a product, perhaps the problem isn't us.
Perhaps the thing shouldn't be there.
Clothing still needs size, fabric and care information. But that information doesn't necessarily need to arrive on a permanent scratchy label. It can be printed or heat-transferred onto fabric or placed on a removable label.
Which brings us to some applause.
The Zamonos Tagless Shout-Out
These brands offer tagless or label-free designs in at least some products or collections. Not every item from every brand is tagless, so check individual garments.
But when we see good design, we like to share it.
Hanes
One of the names most associated with bringing tagless basics into the mainstream. Sometimes innovation isn't about what you add. It's what you leave out. Visit Hanes.
Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive
Sensory-friendly styles include tagless construction, with some also using flat seams. Lose the tag and rethink the seams. We like it. Visit Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive.
Cat & Jack at Target
Its adaptive collection includes numerous tagless garments, some with flat seams to reduce abrasion. Target even includes tagless as a category in its Kids' Adaptive Shop. Visit Cat & Jack.
French Toast Adaptive
Because school is challenging enough without spending math class negotiating with your collar. Its adaptive collection includes tagless designs, flat seams and removable care labels. Visit French Toast Adaptive.
No Limbits
Adaptive clothing that considers the little details that can become big barriers, including labels and seams. Visit No Limbits.
Sense-ational You
Sensory-friendly clothing designed to reduce common clothing irritants. Visit Sense-ational You. Shop Sense-ational You at the Zamonos Store.
Mightly
Soft children's basics with thoughtful details, including tagless options designed with sensory comfort in mind. Visit Mightly.
Lucky & Me
Tagless children's underwear paired with smooth seams and soft fabrics. An especially good place to retire the scratchy label. Visit Lucky & Me.
Carter's
Tagless labeling appears in a variety of its children's basics, bringing a smart design choice into everyday clothing. Visit Carter's.
Under Armour
Some products pair tagless construction with features designed to reduce rubbing and chafing. Tiny irritations become significantly less tiny after a few hours. Visit Under Armour.
Old Navy
Printed or tag-free labels appear in some basics. Check individual products, but we're glad to see tagless design in mainstream fashion. Visit Old Navy.
Primary
Simple, soft children's clothing with label-free designs that put comfort first. Visit Primary.
Kozie Clothes
Sensory and adaptive clothing that goes well beyond tags, considering seams, fabrics and other details that can affect comfort. Visit Kozie Clothes.
Jumping Beans Adaptive at Kohl's
Adaptive clothing with sensory-friendly features including tag-free construction and gentler seams. Visit Jumping Beans Adaptive.
To all of them: We noticed.
Why We're Team No Tag
One tiny design change can:
- Reduce itching, scratching and friction.
- Remove a source of sensory overload and distraction.
- Help people with sensitive skin.
- Make dressing easier for people who tolerate only certain clothing.
- Help people who cannot easily identify, communicate or fix what is bothering them.
- Help people with limited mobility who cannot reach or reposition an irritating tag.
- Eliminate the scratchy remnants left after cutting a tag out.
- Save perfectly good shirts from overly ambitious scissor work.
- Make layering more comfortable.
- Make clothing simply more comfortable for everyone.
That's Universal Design
Universal design doesn't always require adding something.
Sometimes it means removing the thing that was causing the problem in the first place.
So, clothing brands, keep going.
Lose the tags. Rethink the seams. Look at waistbands, closures, zippers, buttons, fabrics and fasteners.
Ask whether something needs to be there simply because it has always been there.
And to every clothing brand already doing it, consider this your official Zamonos shout-out.
We see you.
Although, thankfully, we can't feel your tag.
