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The latest in chronological order was the announcement of Tod’s: the luxury brand, flagship of the group led by Diego Della Valle, entered the Aura Blockchain consortium and, using this technology, launched the Digital product passport for its iconic Di Bag (which, among other things, returned to the spotlight in the latest season of The Crown which has just landed on Netflix). The DPP, this is the international acronym for the digital passport, thus allows owners of the iconic bag to access product and origin certificates and information on craftsmanship and production processes, from creation to purchase. The passport therefore not only guarantees the authenticity of the product, but also accounts for the sustainability of the raw materials, packaging and production quality. «We are thrilled to be part of this transformation journey with Aura Blockchain Consortium – said Carlo Alberto Beretta, general brand manager of Tod’s -. Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do at Tod’s and this allows us to further improve the relationship with our communities, allowing us to directly share the story of our most iconic products through the power of blockchain technologies.”
European legislation coming soon
The Aura Blockchain consortium was born in April 2021 from the union of intentions (and funds) of some of the main players in the world of luxury: LVMH, Mercedes-Benz, OTB, Prada Group and Cartier (Richemont Group). The objective is to invest in technologies capable of improving the customer’s purchasing experience by ensuring, for example, transparency and traceability. The latter, in fact, are not only among the values that luxury consumers today demand from the brands whose products they purchase, but represent two cornerstones of European legislation: the digital passport, for example, is one of the requirements that the Ecodesign regulation ( today still in the phase of the so-called trilogues, dialogues between the Commission, the Council and Parliament which follow the approval of the plenary which took place last 20 July) imposes on companies. The idea is to offer consumers who purchase one of the products regulated by the Espr regulation a digital document capable of providing information on the environmental sustainability of the product in question, including durability and the possibility of repairing the product, including the availability of ” spare parts”. The obligation under the Espr regulation will come into force in 2026 and, therefore, companies have less than three years to become compliant.
The pioneers: the Digital ID of King Charles’ Fashion Task Force
Well before the proposed legislation, the world of fashion – which began experimenting with blockchain technology a decade ago, often for anti-counterfeiting issues – had already equipped itself on this front. Federico Marchetti, who already in the 2000s had proved to be a pioneer by founding Yoox, began working on the DPP with the Fashion Task Force that he led on the mandate of King Charles III (at the time only Prince of Wales): «We need to put the innovation at the heart of the fashion industry as an accelerator for sustainability. Big data, technology and artificial intelligence must be put at the service of the planet”, Marchetti said during the 2023 edition of the Luxury Summit of Il Sole 24 Ore. On a concrete level, the Fashion Task Force – of which the Aura Corsorzio is also a member, together with the Eon blockchain, luxury companies such as Armani, Mulberry, Chloé and retailers including Zalando and Vestiaire Collective – is working to implement what once it was called Digital ID (it was launched at the G20 in 2021) and which today coincides with the digital passport. Chloé, for example, presented the Chloé Vertical project last year: the garments from the SS 2023 collection are all made with 100% traceable materials and equipped with a digital identity also to encourage a second life (in collaboration with Vestiaire Collective).
Not just an investment for big brands. The Endelea case
Then there is the case of Endelea, an Italian company founded by Francesca De Gottardo in 2018 which produces clothes and accessories between Italy and Tanzania. The company – which has been awarded in numerous contexts including the Sustainable Fashion Awards – produces in Dar es Salaam, using local fabrics, garments and accessories (including homewear) designed in Italy. From SS 2024 the creative director is Tiziano Guardini, a designer who has always been committed to sustainable fashion. In the last two weeks Endelea, formerly a Benefit company, announced that it had obtained B Corp certification (one of ten Italian companies in the fashion sector to obtain it, the first in Tanzania) and, together with the Italian-Dutch company Renoon, launched the DPP for its products. By scanning the QR code on Endelea products you have access to very detailed information: who the suppliers of the materials are, where the different production phases were carried out and by whom; what are the costs of materials, manufacturing, transport but also fixed costs such as marketing; how many times it can hypothetically be worn. «Ethics and honesty are two important components of this company – explains the founder Francesca De Gottardo – and they were, even before the certifications and the DPP, two cornerstones of the relationship with our community which is very present and gives us positive feedback on our operated”.
From obligation to commercial opportunity?
It is therefore not only the Aura Blockchain consortium, of which Tod’s represents the latest member in order of acquisition (others are not excluded on the site, on the contrary) that is working on the DPP. A few days ago there was news that Mugler, the French luxury maison, made an agreement with the French company Arianee to provide the Spiral Curve 01 and 02 bags with a digital passport with a scannable QR code contained in the internal pocket of each bag . The information contained in the DPP will be both linked to the transparency of the supply chain and of a commercial nature: by scanning the QRcode, in fact, customers will be able to have access to exclusive promotions. Moreover, as Adrian Corsin, CEO of Mugler, candidly admitted to Business of Fashion: «For us it’s about investing in what will ultimately be a government constraint, transforming it into an opportunity».