The present application relates to a method of treating a fabric article so that it has a characteristic smell normally associated with garments that have been exposed to natural sunlight, the method comprising positioning a fabric article (1) to be treated in an enclosure (8) and irradiating said fabric article positioned in said enclosure with ultraviolet light with a wavelength of between 280 nm and 400 nm and so that it is subjected to a predetermined radiant exposure. A device for treating a fabric article to replicate the characteristic effect of exposing said fabric article to natural sunlight is also disclosed.