Global security technology company Identiv recently announced that it has been working with Chronicled, an organization that tracks authenticity of brand name shoes, to develop wearable sensors for counterfeit protection.

Identiv and Chronicled have created SmartLabels to track brand name shoes so all companies involved in the manufacturing and sales process can determine the ownership and authenticity of sneakers. The goal of SmartLabels is to eliminate the proliferation of knock-off shoes that, in the sneaker market, has a growing counterfeit counterpart. Maurizio Greco, the chief technology officer at Chronicled, spoke about the tremendous wealth in the market and platform it is creating with these sensors.

“As a $1 billion market, collectible sneakers are at risk for rampant counterfeiting,” Greco said. “To combat fakes and re-instill trust and confidence, Chronicled is working with Identiv to create a 100-percent authenticated consumer platform. We plan to expand the use of authentication to other premium consumer goods, combating the more than $250 billion in counterfeit goods sold globally each year.”

Identiv CEO Jason Hart further noted that consumers no longer trust printed labels as proof of authenticity. This is where SmartLabels can make a big difference to both manufacturers and consumers. Small sensors embedded in shoes can remain unnoticed but meanwhile offer a powerful tracking element to each shoe. At the first point of consumer sale, retailers can make sure their products are genuine. And during any resale event, resellers can also determine authenticity with the digital chips.

Consumers are able to use their own mobile devices to see this proof for themselves. Chronicled offers a mobile app which works alongside its dual-developed SmartLabels. The identification platform will include an open-source registry of authenticated products which consumers can freely access when reselling their shoes.

The partnership between Identiv and Chronicled is not yet complete. They seek to launch SmartLabels and the open source platform by the close of 2015. At the outset, the program could reach as many as 15,000 pairs of sneakers and, upon seeing success, could reach many more in the years to come. This is a side of wearables that many might not recognize, but the need for security of material goods can be extremely important. Wearables do not have to be noticeable to offer value, and this project could definitely prove great worth.