Dive Brief:
- Diesel recently discovered and confiscated 43,905 counterfeit 1 DR-style handbags at a warehouse in China, according to a Monday release sent to Fashion Dive.
- The fake items featured the logo of the OTB-owned brand, and were recovered in Wuqia, Xinjiang, under the supervision of the General Administration of Customs. Support for the operation was provided by both Diesel and Wuqia police units, per the release.
- In related news, OTB will begin certifying and registering products in its Jil Sander, Maison Margiela and Marni products beginning with its fall-winter 2024 collections, according to a separate release sent to Fashion Dive.
Dive Insight:
Since spring-summer 2017, Diesel has had a product authentication system in place to guarantee authenticity of all its jeans, and that system was extended to include the rest of the company’s merchandise in fall-winter 2021, according to the company’s website.
Diesel’s products are equipped with a QR code and a 12-digit numerical code that confirm the product’s authenticity and origin. Customers are able to scan the code and check a product’s authenticity via technology provided by digital certification company Certilogo, which has also worked with brands such as Versace, Stone Island, Heron Preston and Off White.
In its press release Diesel stated that it “continually monitors the global marketplace” to track the sale and production of fake Diesel goods and content, both to protect the brand’s intellectual property and to ensure customers aren’t sold counterfeit merchandise.
“This operation represents a significant victory in Diesel’s ongoing efforts to combat counterfeiting,” the company said. “Counterfeit goods not only undermine legitimate businesses but also pose serious risks to consumer safety and international economies.”
The company added that it would “continue to take action against counterfeiting to safeguard its intellectual property rights and reputation in every market.”
OTB is also a founding member of the Aura Blockchain Consortium, was created with the intention of using blockchain technology to provide consumers with a traceability and transparency framework. Other members include LVMH, Prada Group and Richemont-owned Cartier.
Regarding registration for its three high-end lines, OTB said in the corresponding release that it was the first consortium member to provide “a digital authenticity certificate for all the products of its luxury brands, with full integration of blockchain registration in its production processes and the insertion of an NFC chip in every garment or accessory.”
“This is an important advance in the OTB innovation process, because it enables us to guarantee greater transparency, new ways of interaction and an increasingly high-profile experience for our luxury brands’ clients,” Stefano Rosso, CEO of Marni and a member of the Aura Blockchain Consortium board, said in the release. “Full-scale adoption of blockchain technology and its integration with our production processes means we shall be able to respond promptly to all the challenges and opportunities presented by future legislation.”
