Fendi Waging the War Against Counterfeiters with sophisticated Holograms

In our role of independent luxury designer authentication and appraisal specialist, we view some of worlds most sophisticated counterfeit items ever made. These items, most everyday consumers never get exposed to, but due to the counterfeit market opening up and the ease of obtaining such materials and new countries entering into this lucrative arena.

We are aware that these items are filtering through to the general domain. It is no secret that Delortae Agency is committed to brand protection, designers copyright and trademark infringement. Our Authentication Service is recommended by Major Brand Houses, PayPal, law enforcement, Trading Standards, Office of Fair Trading, small claim courts, respected auction houses, insurance and credit card companies.

Over the last five years we have seen a growing number of more sophisticated counterfeits being presented. A worrying trend that has not been overlooked by the major brand designers who are victims of this new wave of sophisticated counterfeiters.

We are all too familiar in the industry, what lengths major brand houses will go to in order to protect their product and the consumer against counterfeiters. We have seen straight stitching, angled stitching, alligator skins not to mention gold zippers to help us set apart the authentic from the counterfeit, now the house of Fendi are introducing holograms.

Nothing new about that. Holograms have been used for years to in the war to combat counterfeit activity to identify authenticity of many luxury goods much of the appeal due to holograms being hard, not to mention expensive, to copy. Holograms are known to use machinery that uses create patterns using laser various different laser beams. These holograms invariably incorporate images, numbers and bar codes that are visible under forensic equipment.

The Italian fashion house Fendi, a unit of LVMH Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey, the worlds largest luxury goods group, have been for some time stitching holograms into the lining of their bags, suits, scarves, boots not to mention mink coats. No one has used holograms quite like Fendi are doing.

The coloured, rectangular stamps with encrypted codes, are visible only with a special magnifying device. The devices are being made available to the Police and Custom Officials to help identify a Fendi branded authentic item from a counterfeit. The holograms also have a wireless tracking device embedded into them which allow Fendi to track if a product has gone a stray from the strictly controlled distribution network or sold in an unauthorized store as the tags are deactivated once an item has been sold.

Michael Burke, Chief Executive of Fendi says "The best way to fight is to stay ahead" also added "We want the certainty of quickly determine whether an item is fake" their familiar two mirroring 'F's in brown and black, is one of the most copied labels in the world.

French fashion house Louis Vuitton have also acknowledged copies of their handbags are so good that their customers only realise their purchase is counterfeit when taken to a boutique for repair. We also only repair authentic luxury items in our own Luxury Handbag SPA and have seen an increase in our own returns of restoration items that have been presented to our Technicians Studio.

Fendi is not the only luxury goods company using holograms. Gucci Group, owners of Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Yves Saint Laurent, confirms it also uses similar technology to protect its brands.

It costs approximately 15,000 Euro to create a holograms encrypted image with an additional few euros tagged on to the actual product. For major brands that represents one Euro out of a thousand but for counterfeiters it is one Euro out of ten says Marc-Antoine Jamet, General Secretary of LVMH and serving Head of France's Union des Fabricants, known for lobbying anti counterfeit measures.

No longer can luxury goods company rely on their exemplary craftmanship, quality skins and ahead-of-their-times designs to ensure authenticity. The luxury goods industry is notoriously reserved when it comes to talking about their anti theft protection. An industry, that up until recently, have only admitted publicly they even have a counterfeit problem.

Police in Naples have already reportedly uncovered a warehouse with photocopiers used to create fake holograms with the basic design without the deep colours and multidimensional images, for counterfeit handbags. A Fendi spokesperson said they have already seen a counterfeit Fendi complete with hologram.

So even luxury goods executives admit holograms are not fool proof. "Holograms are better than nothing but they are already being copied," says Claudio di Sabato Head of Security at Italian fashion house Prada Group NV.

Luxury goods experts say the holograms should allow consumers who buy for secondary retailers or pre owned used goods stores to know whether the product is authentic. But what if the consumer does not know how the authentic hologram or product should look, it would appear holograms offers no protection whatsoever.

Having said that Fendi hope the added complexity of it's holograms and the fact the Police and Custom Officials can root out fakes more efficiently will provide an extra deterrent against counterfeiting. The technology is considered so valuable at Fendi that only two people at its fashion house know the code behind the encrypted holograms.

Exclusive! Counterfeit Website reveal exactly how they make the perfect fake! Word-for-word, how the perfect fake is actually made! HERE

Is this the way forward?