UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

In the Matter of
DESIGN ZONE, INC., a corporation.

DOCKET NO.

COMPLAINT

The Federal Trade Commission, having reason to believe that Design Zone, Inc., a corporation ("respondent"), has violated the provisions of the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and of the Federal Trade Commission Act, and it appearing to the Commission that this proceeding is in the public interest, alleges:

1. Respondent Design Zone, Inc. is a California corporation with its principal office or place of business at 337 South Anderson Street, Los Angeles, California 90033.

 

2. Respondent has manufactured, assembled, labeled, and offered for sale, sold, and distributed t-shirts and other textile wearing apparel that are sold through retailers to consumers. Such t-shirts and other textile wearing apparel are textile fiber products as the term "textile fiber product" is defined in the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act, 15 U.S.C. § 70.

 

3. The acts and practices of respondent alleged in this complaint have been in or affecting commerce, as "commerce" is defined in Section 4 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

 

4. Respondent has sold and distributed, or has caused to be sold and distributed, certain t-shirts manufactured in China. In at least one instance, respondent removed the foreign country-of-origin labels from these t-shirts and affixed labels containing the statement "Made in USA," or affixed labels to these t-shirts containing the statement "Made in USA" without removing the foreign country-of-origin labels. An example of the labels affixed by respondent is attached as Exhibit A.

 

5. Through the means described in Paragraph 5, respondent has represented, expressly or by implication, that respondent's t-shirts referred to in Paragraph 5 were made in the United States.

 

6. In truth and in fact, the t-shirts referred to in Paragraph 5 were manufactured in a foreign country with foreign component parts. Therefore, the representation set forth in Paragraph 6 was, and is, false or misleading.

 

7. The acts and practices of respondent as alleged in this complaint in misrepresenting foreign-manufactured t-shirts as made in the United States constitute a violation of the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act and the Commission's Rules and Regulations promulgated thereunder, and constitute unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, in violation of Section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

THEREFORE, the Federal Trade Commission this day of , 199 , has issued this complaint against respondent.

By the Commission.

Donald S. Clark
Secretary

SEAL: