Musinsa announced that starting from the 3rd, it will conduct ongoing verification of the authenticity of material blend rate advertisements, focusing on winter clothing items such as padding and coats. The investigation targets brands with product names containing down (feathers) used as insulation in padding or cashmere, a premium outerwear material.
Musinsa will closely examine products from these brands sold on three platforms: Musinsa Store, 29CM (Isipguseontimiteo), and Musinsa Global Store.
Musinsa will implement a 'three strikes out' policy, where products suspected of manipulating or misrepresenting blend rates will be regularly inspected, and brands caught three times will be expelled.
For products suspected of blend rate manipulation due to prices being excessively low compared to production costs such as raw materials and labor, Musinsa will conduct 'blind tests' by purchasing the products directly and requesting component analysis.
The onboarding process will also become more stringent. Brands preparing to newly join Musinsa’s platforms or planning to sell products made with down or cashmere materials must submit official test reports issued by accredited institutions. Brands already onboarded will have their sales suspended on Musinsa if they fail to submit these test reports.
Musinsa’s strong measures come in response to repeated controversies caused by brands listing false material blend rates, leading to consumer complaints.
Intempomood, a Musinsa partner brand, recently revealed that the padding insulation blend rates listed in product information were inaccurate, and is currently processing full refunds for affected customers.
Domestic fashion brand LAFUDGESTORE was also found to have falsely listed the insulation blend rates of products such as the duck down Arctic hooded padding, and will be removed from Musinsa and 29CM as of April 1. The problematic product claimed to use 80% down feathers as insulation, but the actual usage rate was only about 3%. According to the Korea Consumer Agency, a product must contain at least 75% down feathers to be labeled as down.
Additionally, PEPL issued refunds after falsely listing the blend rates for six types of 'Impact Pocket Duck Down Padding.'
A Musinsa representative promised, "We prioritize customer damage recovery and will establish systems beyond the obligations of intermediary companies to prevent recurrence of such issues and create a safe online shopping environment."
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