Patou hopes digital IDs will reassure buyers
LVMH-owned fashion and leathergoods brand Patou has begun to roll out a new, smartphone-enabled digital verification system in tandem with the launch of two handbags designed alongside Spanish DJ and creative Maria Abellán, known as Sita.
The bag, a smaller version of the Paris-based label’s Le Patou design, first introduced in 2022, is made from 30% deadstock calfskin and 70% recycled organic cotton, used for a “denim effect”, complete with a recycled cotton lining. Made in Spain, the Le Petit Patou x Sita bags come in either a light pink or purple-blue-red colourway.
Through integrating technology company Ordre’s ‘Authentique’ application, which recognises each product’s unique, built-in “digital fingerprint”, each bag features a scannable ID which, according to founder and chief executive, Simon Lock, is based on artificial intelligence (AI), yet works like DNA in that it “can never be removed”.
The goal is to help customers verify authenticity more efficiently, using only their phone camera and the Authentique app, to help mitigate the risk of buying counterfeits. Ordre’s technology does not require any form of QR code, radio frequency identification (RFID) or near-field communication (NFC) chips, Mr Lock added.
“This non-invasive technology means there is no interference with the supply chain,” he said. “Our AI algorithm tracks the wear of the digital fingerprint over time so the customer can be assured of protection forever."
With proof of purchase, digital ID data can also be transferred and stored on a buyer’s mobile phone, where they will be able to access product specification, warranty and sustainability information, in addition to more creative content like styling videos.
Image: Patou.
