Vanguard BDU's serious color fade

[xray328]

My daughters brand new BDU's went to her to summer encampment in July.  I guess they washed them and they came back with some serious fade. I thought they used some sort of intense detergent. I've had them dry cleaned/pressed three times since and they are getting much worse.  I've had my BDU pants (made by propper) dry cleaned at the same place and they look fine.

Is there a known issue with Vanguard BDU's fading? It's big money to get all patches sewn on just have this happen. 

Here's her top next to my pants:

[Гугл переводчик]

What company makes the BDUs?

[PHall]

The Propper brand is just about the best you can buy for quality. I have a couple of sets that are about 12 years old and apart from some  minor fading they're in great shape.
I don't believe in starching BDU's and these have never been starched or even been to the cleaners which may be why they've lasted so long.
I just wash and dry them on the Permanent Press cycle and iron them with just a steam iron.

[lordmonar]

Summer Weight BDUs fade.....always have and always will.

Don't dry clean them.  Don't starch them. 

They will still fade...but not as much.

[Shawn W.]

Summer Weight BDUs fade.....always have and always will.

Don't dry clean them.  Don't starch them. 

They will still fade...but not as much.

+1. My summer weight BDUs faded pretty fast where-as my winter weight BDUs seem to have aged a little better. I wash and iron both sets with a regular steam iron as well.

[Eaker Guy]

Through my years as a cadet I've had this problem, and it sucked. Then again, I was an aspiring C/CMSgt looking to torture my uniform into submission......

When pressing a uniform, I feel that it's okay to starch them, as long as you don't do it so much as to beat the #%>!@$ out of them, which may have happened at encampment. Starch them two-three times a month, and hang them up so that they don't wrinkle. Wash them after they are worn, use steam, then starch, and put them away until the next time you wear it. You don't have to starch them every day. That will cause major fading.

Starch should only be used to finish off the creases, not create them. I hate dry cleaning though.... 

[PHall]

Through my years as a cadet I've had this problem, and it sucked. Then again, I was an aspiring C/CMSgt looking to torture my uniform into submission......

When pressing a uniform, I feel that it's okay to starch them, as long as you don't do it so much as to beat the #%>!@$ out of them, which may have happened at encampment. Starch them two-three times a month, and hang them up so that they don't wrinkle. Wash them after they are worn, use steam, then starch, and put them away until the next time you wear it. You don't have to starch them every day. That will cause major fading.

Starch should only be used to finish off the creases, not create them. I hate dry cleaning though.... 

Just say no to starch on BDU's.   BDU's are NOT a dress uniform.

[JC004]

I have both UNICOR and Propper-contract MILSPEC BDUs purchased from AAFES Clothing Sales. 

I have also sewn BDUs for other people who recently purchased from Vanguard.

The Propper brand (import, I believe) is NOT like the MILSPEC Proppers purchased through AAFES.  The fabric is BAD.  It's similar to imports I saw from the Hock Shop years ago.

I told the owner to wash the BDU once first, so it wouldn't shrink AFTER I attached the insignia.  They faded like crazy.  The material is very different from my MILSPEC.

He also had to purchase (also from Vanguard) a pair of the youth pants for his son (those suck), and a XS-XS adult size shirt.  That shirt was a very different fabric - basically like my MILSPEC set.  It was made by American Apparel in Alabama (they make military uniforms).  The only issue with that was quality control - they had re-sewn a couple parts and left the old stitch marks from the first attempt.

These are AAFES MCSS MILSPEC (made by UNICOR, but matching fabric to the Propper MILSPEC):

...
It's big money to get all patches sewn on just have this happen. 
...

I can, by the way, likely offer you a better deal if you mailed them to me to sew.