NEW YORK, Nov 29, 2010 / — Moncler is waging a battle against the rampant phenomenon of counterfeiting. It is on the front line in the battle to defend the authenticity of its brand and its identity, and to protect the consumer.
At the same time, Moncler is actively participating in a large-scale offensive aimed at defending “Made in Italy” branded products. In fact, the Italian Fashion Chamber as well as many of the biggest brand names have taken steps to counter the increasing threat posed by fakes, which in particular affect the fashion sector.
This threat undermines the credibility of the “Made in Italy” label which stands for qualitative and creative excellence. In this context Moncler also aims at fighting the collateral damages caused by the creation of a black market with a turnover of hundreds of millions of Euros, which hits tax payers and companies, as well as putting many jobs at risk.
With its rigorous anti-counterfeiting strategy, Moncler is taking action on all fronts, starting with the internet. The number of misleading websites using the Moncler name without any authorisation is on the rise.
The Maison advises against trusting e-commerce sites that are not entitled to sell Moncler garments online, where the consumer becomes a victim of outright fraud. Moncler’s legal department is relentless in taking the necessary measures to have them closed down. There is only one official Moncler website found at www.moncler.com which does not currently offer an online store.
The heart of Moncler’s strategy to protect the brand’s authenticity both offline and online is the innovative brand protection service developed in collaboration with Certilogo. Launched with the Spring Summer 2009 collection, the service centers around the direct involvement of the consumer and has already delivered excellent results.
The system gives each individual garment a unique, item-level identification code sewn into the label. By connecting with the product authentication service found at www.certilogo.com, anyone can verify the authenticity of the garment and the collection it belongs to.
The service, available in eight languages; leverages amongst other things the supply chain information made available by the Maison, and has made it possible to alert tens of thousands of consumers that have come into contact with counterfeit Moncler garments worldwide.
But recently attention is now focusing on the Internet, and since October 2010 Moncler was first to adopt the E-Commerce Controller service, an extension of the Certilogo service specifically designed for preventing customers from unintentionally purchasing fakes on the Internet.
Online sellers advertising garments on websites can prove they are offering an authentic garment by using a specifically designed version of the authentication service. This will allow them to obtain a special button to be inserted into their advertisement, auction or listing.
By clicking on the button the service will confirm to consumer that the seller has authenticated the item and invites them to verify the authenticity of the product for themselves once they receive the product at home, to ensure that the seller had shipped the promised item.
By making it easy for consumers to distinguish listings that offer fake products from those that offer authentic ones, the unintentional purchase of counterfeit goods will be reduced drastically.
Moncler’s legal department carries out thorough inspections in cooperation with the customs and police officials of various countries. Since the sales of Moncler garments to end customers takes place only in the Maison’s boutiques and in a small number of exclusive hand-picked shops, it is vital to prevent fakes from reaching the market.
Thanks to constant monitoring and to the intelligence provided by the Certilogo system, the fight against fakes has proven increasingly successful resulting in the seizure of thousands of fake garments in dozens of investigations carried out by the company over the course of the last 12 months.
