INTRODUCTION

In 2024 alone, EU authorities seized over 112 million counterfeit items with a record estimated value of €3.8 billion. Behind every fake handbag, counterfeit sneaker, and replica watch is a real cost — to the customer who paid for something they believed was genuine, to the brand whose legacy was diluted, and to an industry built on trust.

Authenticity is not just a luxury brand's concern. It is the foundation of everything the sector stands for. And in 2025, protecting it has never been more urgent or more complex.

THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM: WHAT THE NUMBERS TELL US

The counterfeit luxury market is no longer a fringe concern. It is an organised, sophisticated, and deeply embedded industry that has grown alongside the luxury sector itself — fuelled by social media, e-commerce, and a cultural shift in how consumers relate to fakes.

According to Entrupy's State of the Fake Report 2025, based on hundreds of thousands of AI-powered product evaluations conducted globally, 8.4% of all luxury items submitted for authentication were found to be "unidentified" — industry terminology for counterfeit or suspected fake. Their AI authentication accuracy rate stands at 99.86%, meaning the data is robust and the findings are significant.

Here is what the key figures look like:

• €3.8 billion — estimated value of counterfeit goods seized across the EU in 2024, a record high (EUIPO / European Commission) • 112 million — counterfeit items detained across the EU in 2024, the second-highest figure ever recorded • 30% — increase in EU counterfeit seizures since 2022 • 8.4% — of all luxury items tested by Entrupy in 2024 were found to be counterfeit or unidentified • £12.1 billion — estimated value of global trade infringing UK intellectual property rights, leading to approximately 20,000 job losses and £776 million in lost public revenue (OECD / EUIPO, 2024) • 11,000+ — seizures of counterfeit goods imported into the UK between 2017 and 2021

The UK fashion and accessories market is particularly exposed. Clothing ranked third among all counterfeit categories detained at EU borders in 2024, with accessories and perfumery also prominent. The dominant source country remains China, accounting for 42.4% of all goods intercepted at EU borders.

What makes the current moment particularly challenging is the rise of what industry analysts are calling "dupe culture." The hashtag #dupe gained 6.3 billion views on TikTok in 2024, with content normalising imitation across younger audiences. Research referenced in Entrupy's 2025 report shows that 54% of people now say buying fakes is acceptable, and 26% of young buyers knowingly purchase counterfeit goods. This cultural normalisation is reshaping what it means to own luxury — and why the conversation around authenticity is more urgent than ever.

THE MOST COUNTERFEITED LUXURY BRANDS IN 2025

Entrupy's 2025 data, drawn from authentication submissions across global resellers, marketplaces, and individual collectors, paints a clear picture of which brands face the heaviest counterfeiting burden:

• Louis Vuitton — 32.76% of all luxury counterfeit detections • Prada — 14.42% of all Prada bags submitted were flagged as counterfeit • Goyard — 18.4% of St. Louis Totes identified as fake, a rate that surpasses even Dior and Hermès • Gucci — over $12.1 million in fake Gucci bags submitted for verification in a single year • Chanel — leading in counterfeit value, with over $500 million in fraudulent goods detected

Louis Vuitton's monogram canvas remains the most replicated pattern in the world. The Entrupy report also highlights that Prada's signature nylon is the most counterfeited material (21.3% of unidentified handbag submissions), followed by Louis Vuitton Empreinte leather (9.9%), LV monogram canvas (8.1%), Gucci grained calf leather (7%), and Chanel lamb and calfskin quilts (6.7%).

Goyard's position in these rankings is particularly striking. Despite its limited production and deliberately discreet marketing, nearly one in five Goyard totes examined through Entrupy was identified as counterfeit, highlighting that desirability, not just fame, drives counterfeit risk.

WHAT INDUSTRY LEADERS ARE SAYING

The message from luxury's most respected voices is consistent: counterfeiting is an existential threat to the sector's integrity, and the industry's response must be systemic.

Vidyuth Srinivasan, CEO of Entrupy Inc., has been direct about the scale of the challenge, stating in the 2025 State of the Fake Report that the problem "shows no signs of stopping and needs a more scaled approach." He has also noted that consumer psychology is a central part of the challenge, describing how buyers increasingly feel that high prices justify their choice to seek alternatives — "I want what I want, why should I deprive myself?" — and that changing this mindset is as important as improving enforcement.

EUIPO Executive Director João Negrão has emphasised that "counterfeit goods have real costs — for consumers, for brands, and for our economies," making clear that the issue extends well beyond brand reputation into genuine economic and social harm.

Brunello Cucinelli, whose brand has consistently outperformed the luxury sector in recent years, has spoken to the simplicity at the core of authentic luxury. Speaking to investors, Cucinelli stated: "One thing we are certain about — what we must do is always remain unchanged." For a brand built on craftsmanship and integrity, authenticity is not a marketing claim. It is the product itself.

These are not abstract concerns. LVMH, Prada Group, and Cartier co-founded the AURA Blockchain Consortium to assign every product a cryptographically signed digital certificate — traceable from raw material sourcing to point of sale. Chanel has deployed Entrupy's AI authentication technology directly. Burberry partnered with Apple to embed RFID chips into select products. Mulberry is adding NFC tags to all pre-owned pieces from 2025 onward. These are structural investments, not marketing exercises.

AUTHENTICATION TOOLS: WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND HOW ACCESSIBLE IS IT?

Authentication technology has advanced significantly, and accessibility is improving. Here is a practical overview of the main tools available today:

1. AI-Powered Authentication (Entrupy) A handheld device captures microscopic images of luxury goods and compares them against a database of millions of verified images using machine learning. Accuracy: 99.86%. Used by Chanel, Dior, Prada, Goyard, Burberry, and others. Primarily available to resellers, authentication professionals, and specialist platforms — though increasingly accessible via authentication services online.

2. Blockchain Digital Passports (AURA Consortium — LVMH, Prada, Cartier) Each product receives a unique identifier at manufacture. Customers can access a digital certificate via smartphone scan, verifying the item's full history from production to sale. Standard for new purchases from participating brands, and designed to follow the product into the secondary market.

3. RFID and NFC Tags Microchips embedded in products or packaging allow customers to tap a smartphone against the item or its box to access authenticity records. Used by Burberry (with Apple), Bulgari's Serpenti collection, Tiffany & Co., and Mulberry.

4. Serialised QR Codes Prada developed a system with Adobe that generates unique, non-replicable QR codes for each product, linked to a cloud-based ownership and authenticity history. Once scanned, the full provenance chain is visible to the buyer.

5. Expert Human Authentication Platforms like The RealReal employ over 100 brand authenticators, gemologists, horologists, and art curators. Vestiaire Collective signed France's Fight Against Online Counterfeiting Charter and runs rigorous item-by-item review. Cost and turnaround time vary; availability is growing online.

6. Brand Certification Programmes Rolex's certified pre-owned programme through select Bucherer jewellery stores guarantees authenticity with brand-backed documentation. Brands entering the secondary market directly — as more are doing — maintain quality control over the full product lifecycle.

   How Accessible Are These Tools?

   Honestly, it varies. AI authentication services are primarily designed for businesses rather than individual consumers. Brand-embedded technology is increasingly standard for new purchases from forward-thinking houses, but the secondary market remains more exposed. For consumers buying pre-owned or sourcing internationally, the most reliable routes are expert-authenticated resale platforms, certified brand programmes, and specialist personal shopping services that build authentication into their process.

WHY AUTHENTICITY MATTERS FOR THE RETAIL INDUSTRY AND LONG-TERM GROWTH

Counterfeiting does not merely cost luxury brands revenue. It erodes the very thing that makes luxury valuable: trust. When consumers cannot be certain whether a product is genuine, the brand's entire value proposition — built over decades of craftsmanship, heritage, and exclusivity — is undermined.

The EUIPO estimates that counterfeiting costs the EU's clothing, cosmetics, and toy industries a combined €16 billion in sales and nearly 200,000 jobs annually. Beyond economics, counterfeit goods in categories such as cosmetics and personal care can pose genuine health and safety risks. The trade also fuels organised crime — EU enforcement authorities have confirmed that IP crime is deeply interconnected with other serious criminal activity.

For retail, the business case for investing in authentication is increasingly clear. Brands that can offer genuine proof of provenance — through embedded technology, certified resale, or authenticated personal shopping — differentiate themselves in a market where consumer trust is harder to earn than ever.

The secondary market adds further complexity. According to Bain & Company, second-hand luxury sales grew 65% between 2017 and 2021 — at five times the rate of the primary market. That resale boom is growing fastest in exactly the segment where authentication risk is highest. Brands that do not actively participate in governing their products' lifecycle in the secondary market effectively cede that trust relationship to whoever the buyer encounters next.

HOW WECARRYBAGS APPROACHES AUTHENTICITY IN OUR PERSONAL SHOPPING SERVICE

For international clients and discerning shoppers who want access to genuine luxury goods — without the risk of counterfeits, grey-market sourcing, or opaque supply chains — the question of trust is everything.

At WeCarryBags, our personal shopping service in London and across the UK was built with authenticity as a non-negotiable. When a client submits a request — whether for a limited-edition Chanel flap, a sold-out Goyard tote, or a Prada piece unavailable in their home market — our team sources exclusively through verified, trusted channels. We work with authorised boutiques, established luxury retailers, and vetted wholesale partners, with sourcing relationships built across London, Bicester Village, and key European fashion destinations.

Our personal shopping service UK clients benefit from a process that reflects the same principles luxury brands are now embedding into their own products: provenance, transparency, and accountability. Every item is sourced with full documentation, and for high-value pieces, we work with professional authentication partners.

We do not source through unofficial channels, parallel imports, or unverified third parties. For our international clients — purchasing from UAE, India, South Korea, and beyond — the ability to trust the source is not a luxury. It is the entire point of the service.

Tackling counterfeit culture requires a more collaborative, scaled approach across the industry. For us, that means building authentication into our service from day one — not as an afterthought, but as the foundation of what a genuine luxury personal shopping service in London should look like.

If you are looking for a personal shopping service in the UK that you can trust completely, we would love to hear from you.

WHAT CONSUMERS CAN DO: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

Until authentication technology becomes universally accessible at the point of every purchase, there are practical steps every buyer of luxury goods can take to protect themselves — whether shopping in-store, online, or through the secondary market.

1. Buy from authorised sources. Authorised retailers and brand boutiques remain the most reliable point of purchase. If a price seems significantly below market rate, treat that as a red flag — not an opportunity.

2. Request an authentication certificate. For pre-owned items, ask for a certificate from a recognised service. Platforms like Entrupy issue digital certificates. Use a platform that provides authentication as standard, not as an optional add-on.

3. Verify embedded brand technology. For recent purchases from brands using RFID, NFC, or blockchain passports, use the brand's own app or scanning process to verify before you complete the transaction.

4. Scrutinise craftsmanship carefully. Authentic luxury goods have superior stitching, materials, and finishing. Feel the leather — it should be smooth and supple, not stiff. Check hardware weight and quality. Inspect serial numbers and font consistency. These details are difficult to fake at scale.

5. Use specialist personal shopping services for international sourcing. A reputable personal shopping service with transparent, verified sourcing channels removes the primary risk of encountering counterfeits in informal or unverified markets.

6. Treat social media marketplace purchases as high-risk. TikTok, Instagram, and Telegram have become significant channels for counterfeit distribution. Any purchase made through social selling without independent authentication should be treated with caution.

Looking for a luxury personal shopping service in London or the UK that you can trust completely? WeCarryBags sources exclusively through verified, authorised channels, ensuring every piece is exactly what it claims to be, delivered to your door wherever you are in the world. Submit your request at www.wecarrybags.co.uk