Security by Dior

I have been reading Dior by Dior, which is a great book for project management (particularly the discussion of creating the season's line). His discussion of security and piracy were very interesting, and smacks a lot of IT security.

Note that the term 'model', when used by Dior here, indicates a dress/suit, rather than a person wearing it.

There are five classical methods by which dresses are copied, of which the most distasteful is naturally that which originates with the treachery of a member of the staff.

This is, of course the classic insider-threat; disgruntled employees, employees who have been compromised in some way. They are providing information to either competitors or counterfeiters.

The second method of copying takes place at a much later stage when the collection is shown to the Press. In most cases, what takes place is really a regrettable abuse of the details of the collection which are released, rather than proper copying.

Dior defines how the press are sworn to non-disclosure at the season launch. Naturally, the line must be shown to the press to stir interest. He has agents on the floor watching for sketch artists. "Write all you like, but don’t draw!" is the rule

The third method of copying, and probably the most common, is the work of our clients, who thus show little regard for the rules of the profession. They sketch secretly some of the models which have been shown to them, pretending that they are trying to memorize the general look of a dress, whose name they did not catch. When they are discovered, we either make them buy the disputed model, or confiscate their sketches and keep their caution money.

The 'caution money' is further described as a trust against clients (in this case retailers) who view the line, but make no purchases.

[The fourth method] The 'model renters' had their heyday in the years just after the war, and it was not until 1948 that their ringleader, a particularly cunning woman, was detected. She had bought through several intermediaries – generally private clients – the best models from the great Parisian couture houses. On her return to New York, she organized a miniature show of her own.

The model renters would rent garments from couture houses, often several of them, for the purposes of selling to retailers and manufacturers under false pretenses, copying the model to provide a lesser-quality version.

[The fifth method] The ‘model renter’ was succeeded by the publisher of albums of sketches. The prosperity of this form of fraud – the most widespread which has ever been practised – is partly explained by the difference in legislation between France and America – the laws of the latter country being much looser as regards the artistic reproduction of commercial property.

This one is either the most amazing, or least understood by Dior (and he certainly knew his business). As with the second method, these people are monitored to prevent them from making sketches (and he discusses how other clients act as enforcers, for they do not wish to buy a model which will potentially be pirated). They are either memorizing models with amazing accuracy, or in some cases using technology. Pirates had been caught with miniature cameras.

Counter piracy measures were interesting, such as the use of invisible ink with serial numbers and secret stitching markers to aid in discovering pirates. At some of the fake shows mentioned in methods fourth and fifth, agents of couture houses will attend in the guise of pirates, purchase/examine the item offered for copy, and then trace the sale to the original buyer.

There are numerous other instances where the book provides good information for either working with creatives, or working under a manager as a creative. In an IT perspective, Dior is a developer who does not develop, but has a team of trusted agents who are experts at what they do. His relationship with them is important to his success. Well worth reading.