Fashion and Blockchain: How Louis Vuitton and friends are digitising your threads

The labels in our clothes, like so many other things in our lives, are going digital. In doing so, brands are also hoping the information shared on them will be more trustworthy by encrypting it with blockchain. Fashion is exploring new ways with the data-storing technology behind NFTs and cryptocurrencies to tackle counterfeit goods and be more transparent on their social and environmental efforts.

The next time you’re out shopping, instead of a silky tag that fades in the wash and gives a vague steer on the country of production, you might come across a small badge with a chip inside which you can scan with your phone to access a unique database for that item. This database, which enables multiple parties to add (but not remove) information, could verify the product’s authenticity, tell the story of how it was made, include details of aftercare services available and track if the product is resold or passed on to a new owner.