Experts tackle scourge of counterfeiting at Beast to Beauty conference
The rapid rise in the number of counterfeit leathergoods seized and the impact on both the fashion industry and wider global economy was top of the agenda at the fifth Beast to Beauty conference, held today in London.
Speakers discussed how fake products, imported mainly from Asia but also increasingly from other destinations, were hitting companies’ profitability, duping consumers and in some cases flooding the market with unsafe products.
Some of the strategies British leathergoods brand Mulberry adopts to counter the problem were outlined by the company’s lead of legal, Kate Anthony Wilkinson. She quoted a European Union estimate that counterfeits from Asia are costing the UK £30 billion and 14,800 jobs per year, and said her team helps shut down between 150 and 200 fraudulent websites per month.
As well as undermining brands, the counterfeiting industry often supports poor labour practices and organised crime, she added.
Amanda Michel, from consultancy Leatherwise, talked of mislabelled materials and 'faux leather' such as PVC-coated textiles, while Trading Standards’ Handley Brusted showed the dangers presented by counterfeit upholstery or worse - fake medicine, food and drink.
Andrew Hawley, an attorney at law firm Marks & Clerk, said brands can gain some protection by registering trademarks, while investigators John Lambert and Lee Kent from POC Management discussed actions that can be taken to uncover and dismantle counterfeiting operations.
Fresh from Graduate Fashion Week, a number of the UK’s top young designers displayed their leather handbag and footwear collections and were able to network with prospective employers.
The event was sponsored by Pittards, the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers and Marks & Clerk, and organised by World Leather, Leatherwise and the University of Northampton.
