Clothing retailers scratch a big itch

Tags disappear, replaced by art, and sales rise

By Jenn Abelson, Boston Globe Staff

It's always been there, scratching the back of your neck, that nagging tag. Until now.

A growing number of retailers -- from Old Navy to high-end designers like Etro -- are dumping the dreaded tag, instead printing stamps or embroidered labels into the backs of shirts.

Some retail analysts project that tagless merchandise will account for nearly 20 percent of all clothing within two years, a huge jump considering it was practically nonexistent a few years ago.

For manufacturers, it's more expensive to lose the tag. But the seemingly innocuous change has boosted sales up to 20 percent for some companies that recently introduced tagless clothes.

The tagless trend also has started to transform the inside of shirts, with retailers turning utilitarian stamps with brand names into design extravaganzas with such features as shimmering stars and 4-inch-tall eagles.

''This is the beginning of the disappearing tag," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y., market research firm. ''Smarter merchants are trying this, and if it's done right, the design inside romances the product even more."

Tags, the bearers of key information like size and company name, have fueled consumer fury for years and produced generations of tag rippers who cut off the itchy swatches. One-quarter of all consumers ''hate" tags, according to NPD's research.

''I always end up cutting them off," Brett Murphy, of Maynard, said recently while purchasing her eighth tagless tee at American Eagle Outfitters in the Natick Mall. The $19.50 emerald green shirt featured glittery gold writing stamped inside. ''Tags are totally irritating."

Sara Lee Corp., the tagless pioneer, eliminated fabric labels from its Hanes undershirt line three years ago to respond to consumers' complaints. The tag-free wares boosted sales by 10 percent, a huge feat for a category that had flat sales for years.

Since then, the company has expanded the concept to other merchandise, like underwear. Its entire Hanes women's and children's business is now totally tagless. (Hanes copyrighted the term ''Tagless Tees.") After Sara Lee's ''Barely There" brand turned tagless, bra sales increased 20 percent and panty sales jumped 15 percent, said Cindy Riccio, a Sara Lee spokeswoman.

Retail analysts say that kind of payoff makes going tagless worthwhile, even if the manufacturing costs are sometimes up to 10 percent more than those for clothing made with traditional tags. Creating tagless garments varies but many companies, including Hanes, use screen printing, which stamps the fabric through heat-transfer technology.

Hanes recently took the tagless revolution one step further by printing Hanes letters in pink, purple, and green on the toes of socks to help sort laundry and keep the kids' socks in pairs.

''We definitely view the printed label to be part of the Hanes product and design it to have visual appeal," Riccio said. ''In fact, many of Hanes Tank Top or A-shirt garments are worn inside out in the summer months or warmer climates so that the red Hanes label can be seen on the back."

Sara Lee's success has prompted other retailers, including Aeropostale, Banana Republic, Hollister, and Nike, to venture into tagless territory and turn stamped labels into fashion statements.

For example, one line of Hollister's polos has bright yellow flowers and sunbursts stamped into the back along with the company's logo, list of fabric contents, and washing directions.

This fall, the Italian designer Brioni introduced several tagless items, including a $2,350 orange and green cashmere coat with embroidered 3-inch-tall letters spelling ''Brioni."

''It's just a little bit nicer touch," said Marcee Smith, Brioni's dress and sportswear merchandiser for the US wholesale market. ''It's a design statement on the inside."

Brioni has also revamped merchandise that still has tags, by sewing the label all the way around so that it doesn't scratch.

Analysts say tagless clothes come at a key time as consumers battle increasingly abrasive labels. Retailers looking to cut costs have opted in recent years to use cheaper, rougher acetate tags instead of silk, Cohen said.

''It's only made the tagless shift that much better," Cohen said. ''Tags are a very emotional issue."