Lepton-id has developed a security thread that can help determine whether a piece of clothing is authentic or fake. Lepton-id is a product security company based in the US. To test the fabric, and determine authenticity, one can scan the piece of clothing, made with Lepton-id’s optically responsive thread, with one of Lepton-id’s optical detectors.

Optical security taggants are applied within the fibers of thread through a special procedure. The miniscule technology is placed inside the fibers of the thread in a way that prevents the technology from being washed away. Removing the taggants from the thread is virtually impossible—the technology can only be removed by cutting out every piece of thread that was used to make the clothing.

Lepton-id has created two different types of optical detectors. One type, the VI1170, detects the taggants placed into the thread. The VL6300 has the ability to spot the entire hidden image that is created when the thread is sewn into the apparel. While checking the garment’s authenticity, the person conducting the examination would have to know where the taggant should have been placed—a misplaced taggant would quickly prove that the garment is fake.

The specialised thread can be placed into any type of sewing machine that uses that size of thread. Since the correct size is being used, the thread won’t clog the machine during the sewing process.

www.lepton-id.com/