Authentique is just one version of a so-called digital ID or passport: a digitized ‘twin’ (or NFT — non-fungible token) of a designer piece that allows buyers to verify it is genuine and track its life cycle. In Europe, some kind of digital passports for garments and textiles may soon become law; over the past couple of years, some of the industry’s biggest players have coalesced around this technology to aid in both anti-counterfeiting and sustainability initiatives. Founded by LVMH, OTB and Prada Group, which collectively rep labels including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Bulgari, Marni, Maison Margiela and Prada, among others, the Aura Blockchain Consortium is the largest effort to standardize such scannable IDs across fashion and luxury, with founding members currently digitizing millions of products in their catalogs, according to the group. Aura claims that OTB alone has registered 600,000 products so far, with every Maison Margiela Tabi shoe from 2023 sporting an NFC chip within the sole.
