Mulberry, a british luxury brand, is introducing digital IDs to its products in a push to boost circularity and traceability.

The iconic handbag maker has committed to add IDs to its complete product range by 2025, starting in June, 2022 with second-hand bags from its resale programme, the Mulberry Exchange.

Natasha Franck, founder and CEO of EON, said: “Over the last year, we’ve witnessed a huge industry shift in fashion’s adoption of digital ID technology. Brands are moving to implement digital IDs on their entire product portfolios, driven by increased customer demand for product transparency, the booming resale market which requires after-sale connectivity to scale, and upcoming policy which is set to make digital product IDs mandatory”.

The problem of the lack of transparency and traceability can be solved through the digital IDs. 

The company has joined the Sustainable Markets Initiative Fashion Task Force, and has teamed up with cloud-based software platform EON for the new initiative.

The US software company, which has a particular focus on digital IDs, is helping Mulberry to integrate this tool into its products. The first pieces to be equipped with the digital ID are the Pre-Loved bags, which come from the circular economy programme ‘Mulberry Exchange’.

By providing Mulberry’s products with the digital ID, the authentication and resale of the products becomes easier as all relevant information, such as model, colour and place of manufacturing, is stored. Customers will be able to tap their smartphones to the NFC-enabled tag fitted to each bag, and access a personalised digital experience – complete with information about their item, exclusive content and services such as authentication, repair, and resale. 

A demo of a leather bag fitted with the digital ID was showcased at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen on June 8 by Mulberry CEO Thierry Andretta and EON founder and CEO Natasha Franck.

The expected outcome of the collaboration can be foreseen through Andretta's statement: “We take great pride in creating objects that are made to last, to be loved and passed onto the next generation. Through the Digital ID, Mulberry can offer customers increased transparency into the unique journeys of our products, deliver services such as lifetime repair, buy-back and resale, and ensure that every bag can have multiple lives. The digital ID facilitates the full product lifecycle transparency and the brand’s journey to achieving net zero by 2035”.

The company is expected to add the digital IDs to all of its products by 2025. 

Photo taken by Farah Samy on Unsplash