By Li Hongmei

As many as 13 international fashion clothing brands including Lacoste, Diesel and H&M have failed quality tests in China conducted by the Shanghai municipal market regulator. They have been judged sub-standard on different counts including use of dyes that cause skin allergies.

The agency said Monday that quality problems included poor color fastness, sub-standard fiber content and a high pH index. Dyes used in cloths with poor color fastness can be harmful to the skin while those with a high pH index can cause skin allergies and make people vulnerable to bacteria, it said.

Citing specific cases, the regulator said a batch of long skirts of American Apparel failed tests for poor wet rubbing color fastness, a high pH index and slippage. Another two batches of its trousers were found short in fiber content.

A batch of clothes from Diesel had color fastness to light while a batch of Lacoste skirts was found to have poor color fastness.

The regulator also listed other well known brands - Moussy, Trussardi, Tommy Hilfiger, Desigual, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Teenie Weenie, Jack & Jones and Lanvin - among those that failed quality tests.