Real or fake?

Technologists at AgResearch have demonstrated how a new system can be used to detect fake designer garments.

The textile tracing system, called Verifi TT, was developed by AgResearch scientists in partnership with an Australian company, DatatraceDNA.

It will be particularly valuable for the high-brand apparel market where copycat manufacturers sell imitations as the real thing.

Here's how it works. First, fabric or yarn is manufactured containing a unique customer-distinct fibre tracer. This tracer fibre is added early in the normal textile-processing sequence in minute quantities - around 300g of tracer fibre per tonne of conventional textile fibre.

The tracer material can then be identified in clothing using a handheld scanner. By scanning the Verifi TT handheld reader over the fabric or yarn, it can detect the tracer and then verify the authenticity of the fabric.

The Verifi TT tracer itself is invisible to the eye because of the minute quantities used. The test can be applied at all points along the value chain, including the retailer’s shelf.