Agency to mini-fashionistas: No more bling
Bad news for all those parents out there who clad their babies in rhinestones and other sparkly jewels: The Consumer Product Safety Commission has ruled that glass and crystal rhinestones still aren't allowed on children's clothes, despite protests from the industry.
The bling was banned in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, legislation passed by Congress last year in the wake of scares about tainted children's products. The act introduced a host of new testing requirements and standards for children's toys and clothing, generating an outcry among stores and manufacturers who feared the rules might thrust them out of business.
Since then, agencies and trade associations have petitioned the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which enforces the act, to grant them exemptions and extensions. The petitions have been mostly unsuccessful. CPSC staff had announced on July 10 that their analysis showed that glass and crystal rhinestones were not hazardous, but said Monday that they were not able to grant an exemption under the language of the law.
“This is a multimillion dollar blow to the fashion and apparel industry,” says Sheila A. Millar, a partner with Keller and Heckman LLP and counsel to the Fashion Jewelry Trade Assn. “It is very frustrating for businesses to hear that their products are safe, but are banned.”
-- Alana Semuels
Photo: No more bling-laden party girl shirts for your newborn. How will you cope? Credit: PinkMoose via Flickr
