Protecting a Purpose-Driven Brand: DeMellier’s Fight Against Counterfeits

DeMellier is a London-based luxury handbag brand founded in 2017 by Mireia Llusia-Lindh. Known for modern, timeless designs and ethical craftsmanship, the brand creates bags “by women, for women” that are made to last — in both style and quality.

As DeMellier’s reputation grew, so did the scale of a new challenge: counterfeiters. Fake products began circulating across resale platforms and social media, creating confusion for customers and threatening years of work building trust.

Read on to see how DeMellier built a smarter, more scalable approach to brand protection, restoring customer confidence, saving time, and protecting reputation.

Infringement threatened everything DeMellier stands for

DeMellier’s success is built on clear values: sustainability, social impact, and female empowerment. Every bag is made in Italy and Spain using responsibly sourced materials such as LWG-certified leathers, GOTS-certified fabrics, and hardware from top-tier suppliers. Its charity initiative with SOS Children’s Villages has already funded over 1.5 million vaccines, while supplier audits ensure safe working conditions, equal pay, and diversity in the workforce.

Counterfeiting, impersonation, and knock-offs quickly became a direct threat to these principles, and by extension the DeMellier’s reputation as a purpose-driven, socially conscious brand:

• Customer confusion and complaints: Counterfeit products from look-a-like websites and online marketplaces were being mistaken for genuine DeMellier bags, leading to negative reviews and support queries from disappointed customers who had unknowingly purchased fakes on platforms like Vinted, eBay, and Vestiaire Collective.

• Sustainability at risk: Many of the counterfeit bags were made from poor-quality, non-durable plastic materials, falsely marketed as “vegan leather.” These products had nothing in common with DeMellier’s carefully selected, responsibly sourced materials; they were highly polluting, often taking centuries to break down in landfill.

• Hijacked campaigns and lost sales: Counterfeiters took advantage of DeMellier’s own digital marketing, especially on Chinese e-commerce platforms, to promote fakes at lower prices during major campaigns. These activities directly undercut revenue and misled customers during peak sales periods.

• Reputation damage: As more fakes entered the market, the quality perception of the brand was at risk. Counterfeiters not only imitated product designs, but also used DeMellier’s logo, imagery, and campaign language — further blurring the line between real and fake.

• Inefficient enforcement: Before partnering with Corsearch, DeMellier handled infringement through a network of individual lawyers. This reactive, case-by-case approach was expensive, slow, and impossible to scale as incidents increased across more platforms and regions.

• Promotion of cheap, knock-off ‘alternatives’: Various look-a-like versions of DeMellier bags were identified on popular well-known websites, online marketplaces and social media accounts. These were often promoted by social media influencers and sponsored ads. Removing these instances in their entirety has been a substantial focus of their Brand Protection program to protect their iconic designs.

Building a smarter approach to Brand Protection

This automated monitoring and the use of AI is just mind-blowing and just such a great feature."

Eefje Frankenhuis, Design Director, DeMellier

DeMellier needed to move from fragmented enforcement to a structured, technology-led brand protection strategy. After receiving strong industry recommendations and conducting internal research, the team selected Corsearch as a long-term partner.

As an early adopter of Corsearch Zeal 2.0 — our AI-native Brand Protection platform — DeMellier now manages enforcement across digital platforms through a centralized, intelligent system. The partnership has enabled the team to:

• Detect infringements faster: AI-powered monitoring identifies suspicious listings and accounts across online marketplaces, social platforms, and emerging sales channels, including WhatsApp and Telegram.

• Takedowns at scale: Rather than handling each case individually, DeMellier now removes large volumes of listings in bulk — saving time and ensuring consistent takedown processes.

The speed at which Corsearch sends cease and desist letters and gets websites taken down is just a game changer."

Eefje Frankenhuis

• Speed up enforcement: Corsearch’s established relationships with marketplaces, hosts, and other intermediaries helped DeMellier prioritize platforms that are slower to respond, reducing friction in the takedown process — especially for repeat offenders.

Corsearch truly builds up relationships with all the hosting platforms and marketplaces."

Eefje Frankenhuis

• Focus on priority threats: Monthly review meetings ensure DeMellier’s team can shift attention as needed, from resale platforms to social commerce or high-risk regions.

• Build a stronger IP position: Corsearch has also encouraged DeMellier to register its product designs more systematically, increasing the brand’s ability to take decisive legal action against the most prolific infringers.

Importantly, Corsearch’s technology and expertise have allowed DeMellier’s lean internal team to stay focused on product development, customer engagement, and sustainability — rather than being consumed by enforcement.

Measurable impact against counterfeiters and other infringers

We have seen Corsearch literally removing thousands of unauthorized listings."

Eefje Frankenhuis

The shift from manual to tech-enabled enforcement has delivered measurable impact.

Over a 12 month period, DeMellier has successfully removed over 8,200 counterfeit or otherwise infringing listings — valued at an estimated £77m — across 99 marketplaces, significantly reducing the visibility of fake products online. The improvement in speed and efficiency has helped protect the customer experience, with far fewer instances of confusion, complaints, or reputational harm caused by fakes.

Internally, the brand has recovered substantial time and resources. What was once a fragmented and reactive process now runs as an ongoing, strategic initiative supported by consistent data and expert guidance.

Perhaps most importantly, the new approach has restored alignment between DeMellier’s growth and its values. By reducing the spread of low-quality fakes and imitations of DeMellier’s designs, the brand has defended its sustainability efforts, protected its charitable mission, and reaffirmed its commitment to quality and responsible craftsmanship.

The future of DeMellier’s Brand Protection strategy

We work together with Corsearch on everything: the style of reporting, the focus points, key regions, what is important to us, and what kind of input do they need from us?"

Eefje Frankenhuis

DeMellier remains committed to staying one step ahead of counterfeiters and other bad actors. In partnership with Corsearch, the team plans to expand Brand Protection coverage to more platforms and regions, especially those where social commerce is growing rapidly.

There are also plans to pursue more aggressive legal action where needed — including seizures and investigations — and to build closer ties with platforms, payment providers, and law enforcement in markets where counterfeiting is most active.

On the policy side, founder Mireia Llusia-Lindh is actively advocating for stronger legislation to protect ethical brands. Through engagement with organizations like the British Fashion Council and Walpole, DeMellier is contributing to broader efforts to push the UK government to take a firmer stance against counterfeit goods.

By continuing to evolve its strategy and working closely with Corsearch, DeMellier is building a long-term foundation for responsible growth. One that keeps its customers, its values, and its brand promise at the center.

See Corsearch Zeal 2.0 in action

Want to see how Corsearch helps brands like DeMellier stay ahead of counterfeits and dupes? Book a tailored demo.