Louis Vuitton Nabs Mole Who Was Sneaking Unreleased Designs To Counterfeiters
Image via 360b / Shutterstock.com
Louis Vuitton, one of the most imitated brands in the world, recently clamped down on an employee in China who had been selling newly-designed bags to counterfeiters so they could manufacture quality fakes.
The mole, a sales representative from the Louis Vuitton store in Guangzhou, had been selling unreleased bags to criminal gangs at marked-up prices so they could roll out imitations at the same time, or earlier, as the authentic versions. She had priced the items higher so she could profit from the scheme.
As reported by state news network CCTV, via WWD, police officers in Shanghai arrested 62 criminal gangs who were counterfeiting Louis Vuitton bags, as well as confiscated 2,000 imitation products, 30 sets of manufacturing equipment, and over 100,000 pieces of raw materials worth more than CN¥100 million (US$14.6 million).
The fake bags were so well-made, Louis Vuitton put them to good use instead of discarding them. The company attached NFC sensor chips in them that customers could scan using their smartphones to verify their authenticity. The technology is something that real LV bags don’t have yet, though the brand hopes to make this verification system available in future products.
“Counterfeiting is the violation of the craftsmen’s talent, skills and the creativity of the artists to whom Louis Vuitton owes its success,” the brand told WWD, putting stress on its “zero-tolerance policy” towards copycats.
The mole, identified only as her surname Shi, has been fired from her position.
[via WWD, cover image via 360b / Shutterstock.com]
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