For decades, a fashion label told us what we thought we needed to know: cotton or polyester, made in Portugal or India, washed cold or dry clean only. It was static. Brief. Disposable.
But now, labels are evolving into something else entirely. A link. A living record. A passport.
And if you're a brand — whether you're just starting out or rooted in legacy — the decision to embed a Digital Product Passport (DPP) isn’t just about technology. It’s about intention.
The shift from storytelling to system design
Let’s pause for a moment. You already know the fashion industry is changing. You’ve felt the pressure — from EU regulations, sustainability expectations, resale platforms, conscious consumers. All of it pulls you toward something more transparent and more traceable. And the Digital Product Passport is part of that shift — a quiet but powerful tool for brands ready to engage differently.
So where do you begin?
The first decision is rarely technical. It’s strategic. Why are you embedding a passport in the first place?
Are you trying to protect your designs from counterfeiting? Do you want to bring your sustainability claims closer to your customer? Or are you curious about how garments might talk back — collect insights, create connections, be remembered?
Once you know why, the “how” begins to unfold.
QR codes: the simplest form of connection
Sometimes, simplicity is your superpower. QR codes are often the easiest way to deliver a DPP — they work out of the box, they’re affordable, and they’re already familiar to most users.
Print a QR on a woven label. Place it behind a swing tag. Add it as a button on your online store. What matters most is that the experience behind the scan is thoughtful. Designed to be mobile-first. Easy to understand. A DPP doesn’t need to overwhelm — it needs to invite.
But maybe you’re designing something more durable, more discreet. Maybe you want something that feels like part of the garment itself.
NFC tags: a tap instead of a scan
This is where it gets tactile. Embedding a tiny chip that can be scanned with a smartphone — no app, no camera, just a tap — brings the DPP into the material of the piece. It becomes invisible but present. A little moment of digital magic.
Still, not all NFC tags are made the same. Some are hard discs that can survive commercial laundry and years of wear — perfect for uniforms or long-life pieces. Others are flexible plastic tags, designed to be ironed or sewn into soft fabrics, tucked behind a label or hidden between shoe layers.
Each option has trade-offs. The more rugged the tag, the more expensive and less flexible it becomes. The more discreet it is, the more important placement becomes — because NFC chips only work at close range. Too deep under a lining and the magic vanishes.
And then there’s the question of time. Will it last five washes? Fifty? Ten years? Fifty?
The truth is, most chips — like the widely used NTAG213 — are built to last a decade. That’s enough for most apparel. But if you’re embedding DPPs into heirloom pieces or furniture or resale-ready sneakers, there are longer-life chips available. It just takes planning.
What makes a passport authentic?
Not all scans are equal. A QR code or simple NFC tag can be copied. It’s easy enough to duplicate a link. That’s fine for general storytelling, but if you’re using DPPs for authentication or ownership — if the passport is a stamp of truth — you need encrypted chips. These create one-time-use codes that can’t be faked. They verify provenance. They make trust scalable.
It’s a little more complex to set up, yes. But it’s the only way to ensure what you’ve made can’t be cloned, diluted, or digitally stolen.
So how do you start?
Not with a stack of chips. Not with a crash course in NFC standards.
You start by deciding what kind of relationship you want to build between your product and your customer.
Do you want them to scan once and never again? Or do you want the garment to evolve over time — store memories, share care tips, unlock resale pathways?
Do you want to speak broadly — or create a one-to-one connection?
Because embedding a DPP isn’t just a logistics choice. It’s a brand design decision. And when done well, it becomes part of your garment’s soul.
So here’s our invitation:
Start small. Choose a pilot item — a hero piece. Add a simple QR code or a soft NFC tag. Write a DPP you’d want to read. Make it honest. Make it mobile. Make it matter.
And then grow from there.
This is a future where clothing speaks. Let’s make sure it says something worth listening to.
