Recall: Fleece Garments Recalled by Hardwick Knitted Fabrics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Originally issued January 5, 1998, Revised June 6, 2002 Release # 98-050

Company Phone Number: (413) 436-7704 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052

Note: Phone number change.

CPSC, Hardwick Knitted Fabrics Inc. Announce Recall of Fleece Garments

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Hardwick Knitted Fabrics Inc. of West Warren, Mass., announces the recall of an estimated 16,800 fleece garments. Most of the garments are children's vests and pants; infant shirts; men's shirts; and ladies' tops, top and pants sets, and robes. These garments, which fail to meet federal mandatory standards for fabric flammability, could ignite readily and present a serious risk of burn injuries in violation of the Federal Flammable Fabrics Act. Fabrics that do not comply with the standard typically burn faster than newspaper.

Hardwick Knitted Fabrics Inc. and CPSC are not aware of any injuries involving these garments. This recall is being conducted to prevent the possibility of injuries.

Only the red and navy colors of this fabric are being recalled. The fabric is an 80 percent cotton and 20 percent polyester blend material with a raised fiber surface. Its fleecy texture closely resembles an inside-out sweatshirt and is sometimes called sherpa.

The Recalled Garments

• Infant's and Toddler's Vest in two styles. One infant and toddler vest style is red, without buttons, with black stitching along the edge and has a 3-inch "Winnie the Pooh with Scarf" applique on the front left side showing Winnie skating. The other style vest also is red, has four turquoise-blue buttons on the left side and turquoise-blue trim along the edge. It has a 3-inch "Winnie the Pooh with Scarf" applique on the front left side. On this applique, Winnie is carrying a turquoise-blue bag. The label reads, in part, "Winnie the Pooh," and has the RN number 19109. These vests were sold at J.C. Penney.
• Infant and Toddler Pants. These red pants are footless with elastic at the ankles and waist, a 2-inch "Winnie the Pooh with Santa Cap and Scarf" applique on the bottom of the left leg. The applique has a royal blue background and the word "POOH" appears below the Santa figure. The label reads, in part, "Winnie the Pooh," and has the RN number 19109. These pants were sold at J.C. Penney.
• Infant Shirt with rounded collar and small bow. These red, pull-over shirts have a large "Winnie the Pooh with Santa Cap, Blue and White Scarf and Blue Mittens" applique on the front of the shirt. The label reads, in part, "Winnie the Pooh," and the RN number is 19109. These were sold at Kohl's Department Stores.
• Girl's Jumper and Boy's Shirt. These red garments have an applique on the front showing a Scottie dog with bow tied to its tail. The shirt is a pull-over with long sleeves. They are labeled, in part, "Chocolate Soup," and were sold at Chocolate Soup retail stores.
• Ladies' Top with black and white stripes at collar and cuffs. These red tops have a three-button slit extending from the neck to the mid-chest. The label reads, in part, "Bon Jour," and the RN number is 76902. It was sold at Bargain City.
• Ladies' Top and Pant Sets in two styles. One style of these navy sets has a zipper extending from the neck to the mid-chest with a pouch. The other style has buttons extending from the neck to the waist with a left breast pocket. They are labeled, in part, "Kingly," and have the RN number 17819. They were sold at Bradlees.
• Ladies' Robes in three styles. One style of these red and navy robes has shawl-style collars, a belt that ties in the front and two side pockets. Another style of the robe has a polo-style collar, a front zipper that extends the full length of the robe and a pouch at belt level. The third style is tri-color, which can include red, navy and other third colors. Only the robes that include the red or navy colors are part of the recall. This style also is collarless with a zipper that extends the full length of the robe and has two side pockets. The label reads, in part, "CypressTM," and the RN number is 16073. These robes were sold at Bloomingdales, Dillards, Carson Pirie Scott, Marshalls, Nordstrom, Stein Mart and other retail stores.
• Ladies' Robe and Ladies' Top. These red robes and pull-over tops have rounded collars, piping below the neck encircling the collar and piping at the sleeves. The robes have a full-length front zipper. The label on both garments reads, in part, "Miss Elaine at Home," and the RN number is 17414. They were sold at Mercantile Stores, Dillards, Macy's and other retail stores.
• Men's Shirt in three styles. These navy shirts were sold with a crew neck collar with no buttons, a shirt with a short collar and four buttons extending from the neck to the mid-chest, or a shirt with a short collar and zipper extending from the neck to the mid-chest. The label on these shirts reads, in part, "Northwest Territory" and the RN number is 81801. They were sold at Kmart stores.

The fleece garments were sold from August 1996 to July 1997 for about $20 to $75, depending on the type of garment.

Consumers should stop using these garments immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. For more information about this recall, consumers should call (413) 436-7704 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m EST Monday through Friday.