Wills Lifestyle, the award-winning Indian retail apparel brand, has been granted the OEKO-TEX^® Standard 100 certification for its men's and women's apparel collections.

The OEKO-TEX^® certification was conferred by Hohenstein Institute who conducted all the necessary testing to ensure that Wills Lifestyle's knit and woven textile products are free from more than 300 substances that can be dangerous to human health, including chemicals of concern such as lead, formaldehyde, carcinogenic dyestuffs, heavy metals, and pesticides.

"Wills Lifestyle provides fashionable, quality clothing for every aspect of a premium consumer's lifestyle," says Mr Atul Chand, divisional chief executive, ITC Lifestyle Retailing. "Our OEKO-TEX^® certification is a reassurance that our brand meets the high human ecology standards our consumers deserve. In addition, we are contributing to a safer textile industry in our country."

Wills Lifestyle apparel and accessories are sold in 78 speciality stores in 37 cities across India. The stores provide an international shopping experience and are located in retail locations and ITC Hotels. The apparel collections include Wills Signature, Wills Clublife, Wills Sport, and Wills Classic. Wills Lifestyle is part of ITC-LRBD, one of India's most respected corporations.

"With Wills Lifestyle's OEKO-TEX^® certification, ITC is further expanding the scope and impact of its textile quality initiatives," says Prof Dr Stefan Mecheels, director of the Hohenstein Institute. "When textile products are safe for consumers, the result is a safer supply chain that positively affects the people who manufacture those textile products and their many components."

"ITC is to be commended for its exemplary work in producing fashionable and safe textile products," says Dr Jean-Pierre Haug, general secretary of the International OEKO-TEX^® Association, who oversees OEKO-TEX^® global textile certifications. "Independent, third-party certifications like the OEKO-TEX^® Standard 100 are objective, reliable instruments that provide transparency and consistency, both of which, are distinguishing factors in ITC's award-winning programs."