Rebecca Gallagher, left, and Rebecca Jones, right, both bought their summer fashion garments from the Primark store in their native Swansea spending £10 on the dress and top containing the hoax labels''
A top High Street fashion chain yesterday claimed two labels sewn into summer dresses saying 'sweatshops conditions' and 'exhausting hours' were hoaxes.
Primark were under-fire after claims the labels were a 'cry for help' from workers making the cut-price fashion.
But bosses at the chain say the two matching hand-made labels were put on dresses made thousands of miles apart - one in Romania and one in India.
A investigation by Primark found that one of the garments has been made in Romania and the second was manufactured in India leading them to conclude that both labels were hoaxes, most likely attached in the UK''
Two women shoppers were shocked at finding the hand-made labels sewn into bargain tops bought from the same Primark store in Swansea city centre.
Rebecca Gallagher, 25, spotted a label reading: 'Forced to work exhausting hours' next to the washing instruction of her bargain top.
And a second shopper Rebecca Jones, 21, revealed how she found another label reading: 'Degrading sweatshop conditions'.
The two women - who do not know each other - bought their £10 summer clothes from the same Primark store.
Both Miss Gallagher and Miss Jones purchased their £10 garments in the Primark store in Swansea
A Primark spokesman said: 'Nobody should be in any doubt that Primark places the utmost importance on the well-being of workers in its supply chain.
'Primark would not sell clothes unless we are satisfied that they were made in accordance with our Code of Conduct.
'It is for this reason that we take all allegations of breaches of our Code extremely seriously from any sources.'
The company - who say workers in our supply chain to make contact 'confidentially' - launched an investigation into the labels.
The spokesman said: 'Our investigation has led us to the conclusion that it is more likely than not, to have been a hoax carried out in the UK.
'The labels are clearly from the same source.
'It is almost impossible to imagine circumstances in which such similar labels could have been sewn onto the garments at the factory where they were made.
'They were made by different suppliers, in different factories, on different continents, one in Romania and the other in India, thousands of miles apart.
'However, both garments carrying the hoax labels, were bought from our Swansea store in 2013.
'It may be no more than a coincidence that an exhibition of labels of a similar kind was held in Swansea, also in 2013.
'Visitors were encouraged to sew labels, using similar wording and appearance to the hoax labels, onto clothing.'
Primark say it is continuing to investigate the discovery of a note in a pair of cropped trousers in Northern Ireland, with investigations being carried out in the UK and China.
It comes after the discount fashion retailers have been criticised over working conditions of workers abroad - but Primark insists it has a strict code of ethics.
Miss Gallagher said she would never wear the multi-coloured dress ever again after spotting the label''
Miss Jones said having spotted the label she know spends time thinking how her clothes have been made''
Miss Jones, of Porthcawl, said: 'I was really shocked when I saw the label saying it was degrading sweatshop conditions.
'I used to shop a lot at Primark but not so much now. The label has made me think about how my clothes are made.
'I have no idea who made the label or how it go it there - but it does make you think.'
Fellow shopper Miss Gallagher, 25, spotted the handmade label sewn into the multi-coloured dress from discount store Primark.
She had vowed never to wear it again because of the fear it was made by a tired worker toiling in a foreign sweatshop.
Miss Gallagher, of Swansea, said: 'I was amazed when I checked for the washing instructions and spotted this label.
'It was stitched by hand to say “Forced to work exhausting hours” and sewn in with the other normal labels.
'To be honest I’ve never really thought much about how the clothes are made. But this really made me think about how we get our cheap fashion.'
'I dread to think that my summer top may be made by some exhausted person
toiling away for hours in some sweatshop abroad.'
Primark’s ethics came under fire in 2011 after the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh killed 1,000 workers, 580 of whom were employed by a Primark supplier.
The company recently announced it will pay out compensation to workers who were injured and the families of workers who died in the collapse.
The high street chain assured that it has 'a code of conduct in place, to ensure products are made in good working conditions and all employees are treated fairly'.
MAONI YA MSOMAJI'' MMOJA''
MSOMAJI IN Edinburgh, United Kingdom''
Wouldnt be surprised if one of the big clothes retailers paid someone to do it. Theyre all feeling threatened by Primark and theyve probably thought best way to get the upper hand would be to do something like this. Its not as if all the big clothes retailers have their clothes made in the UK only so why just make out its just primark ..if these two women are stupid enough to believe this then im sure they'll stop using Primark wont they? Doubt it they'll continue buying from Primark.
TUMECHOTA NA KUMIMINA KUTOKA DM ILI MJIFUNZE'
FLORA LYIMO FASHION POLICE BLOG
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