Do clothing companies or department stores spray fragrance on new clothes?

[Magna]

My wife brought back some new clothes to our house that she purchased from a department store chain. The clothes absolutely reeked of cologne-like fragrance. I could taste it. The clothing section was no where near any fragrance department.

I'm convinced either the clothing manufacturers soak the new clothes in fragrance or the department stores spray their clothing with cologne.

If it's a known fact that one or the other actually does happen then I could feel better about registering my complaint as someone seriously affected by fragrance.

 

[Magna]

This isn't the first time new clothing has been hosed with fragrance. It seems to be the case half the time. No way was it residual smell from someone trying on the clothes.

I did some googling after posting this and apparently some stores to spray clothes. Abercrombie allegedly requires employees to spray the clothes directly with cologne within inches of the clothing regularly.

 

[Gerontius]

Abercrombie

Well, there's your problem--

 

[Luca]

I’m allergic to most fragrances and I usually wash clothes and bedding more than once when I first get them.
I would file a formal complaint if that happened to me too!

 

[Forest Cat]

It's smart to wash new clothes before using it. New clothes are new but they are not clean. It often says on bed linen for example, "Wash before use". To get rid of everything from the production and transport and people handling it.

 

[Luca]

It's smart to clean new clothes before using them. New clothes are new but they are not clean.

Yes. The most disgusting thing is buying a bathing suit and not knowing if someone else’s privates have been on it

I only purchase them online now. But still!

 

[Tom]

The perfume may be the least of your worries. They may be trying to hide the smell of much worse chemicals used in the manufacturing process.