De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) Professor Martin Richardson, professor of Holography has invented a method to insert a hologram onto the very fibers of threads that shows up when the fabric is placed under a microscope.
This has opened the door to new opportunities to safeguard clothing and other forms of textiles against fake ones.
The global fashion industry estimates that last year the industry lost more than $50 billion due to the sale of fake garments including those claiming to be from leading apparel and accessory brands.
Professor Martin Richardson’s innovation of hologram-marked threads weaved into fabric can thwart to tackle fakes. Richardson said that this would work just like holograms printed on banknotes to dissuade fraudsters.
Richardson leads DMU’s HOLO-Lab – a specialist technical facility.
Richardson said, “The holographic technology being developed at De Montfort University is targeted for brand protection, being able to identify a genuine article from fake. Counterfeits now proliferate consumer goods and it is vital to protect both public, and industry, if we are to continue developing a strong and safe economy.”
At the ongoing Dubai Expo’s UK Pavilion – currently hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates –Richardson displayed hologram-marked threads that have been weaved into the material used for safety-critical fabrics used for parachutes.
De Montfort University Leicester is one of the only official founding partners for the UK Pavilion at the Expo, run by the Department of International Trade (DIT).
