Theoretical and practical aspects of forensic commodity examination of sewing products (clothing)

The article examines the main trends in the development of the Ukrainian clothing market in modern conditions. It is noted that with the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, the share of imported clothing and footwear has significantly decreased. However, the return of international manufacturers to the Ukrainian clothing market in 2024 contributes to increased competition, and accordingly, domestic manufacturers will focus on finding innovative solutions to attract the attention of new buyers and retain regular ones. During this period, the market for sewing products, in particular clothing, is characterized by the development and growth of offers from both foreign and domestic manufacturers, the renewal of the product range, changes in trade classification other than standardized, the emergence of new types and varieties of products, and the use of new materials. The scientific works of leading scientists who studied the issues of the clothing market and the commodities expertises of clothing products in general are considered. The algorithm for conducting a forensic commodities expertises of clothing is presented. The main classification features of clothing that are used in the classification of this group of clothing products are identified. The following consumer properties of clothing are analyzed: functional, ergonomic, aesthetic and reliability properties, as well as the factors of their formation. The theoretical and practical aspects of conducting forensic commodity examination of sewing products (clothing) are considered. Special attention is paid to the choice of methodological approaches (comparative or expense) when conducting the research. The authors of the article justify the necessity and feasibility of using each of them. It is concluded that conducting a commodity examination of sewing products (clothing) involves a sequence of actions (stages) that describe the procedure for the study, and the constant dynamics of the development of light industry poses the need for a commodity expert to use a systematic approach to studying the fundamental characteristics of the product (assortment, quality and quantity) in the context of the relationship with the cost characteristic.