Clothes today, it seems are just not up to scratch. Statistics released today show the number of complaints to the Government's consumer helpline, Consumer Direct, concerning female fashion items surged to 14,390 last year, up 22 per cent from 11,732 in 2007, The Independent reports.
Consumer Direct revealed that this rise was the fastest in any of it's top 10 complaints categories.
A Consumer Direct Spokesman said complaints included sequins coming off dresses, colour dyes that ran in the wash, bobbly jumpers, split seams, loose buttons, broken zips and shrinking trousers.
This increase is sure to spark debates on the quality of fashion items in times where budget stores such as Primark, Matalan and George rise in popularity. Competition from these cheaper priced shops has seen High Street shops moving production abroad in a bid to cut costs the paper reports.
Returns policies have also become stricter with more stores reluctant to offer cash refunds.
In the past five years the price of clothing has fallen 25% and shoppers have bought almost 40% more items of clothing, suggesting fast fashion may be the reason behind this increase.
Designer Katharine Hamnett disagrees that foreign suppliers are to blame saying they are excellent but may have been pushed too far by Western retailers.
She told The Independent: "In the pursuit of profit , they're paying less and less to have the clothing made so they can make more and more money. These buttons falling off and seams coming apart are collateral damage in that. They have probably gone a step too far."