Salvatore Ferragamo intercepted 90,000 counterfeits in 2014

The brand intensified its efforts to combat forged goods in 2014, particularly online and in the Chinese market, winning 10 civil court cases during the year.

Around 350 domain names and illegal websites were recovered and cancelled as part of the same crackdown.

More than 10,000 imitation Salvatore Ferragamo goods were seized and destroyed during the period, with Chinese customs authorities stopping more than 1,500 leaving the country.

The business, which sells clothing, footwear and accessories for men, women and kids, estimates the total value of these goods to exceed $7m (£4.7m).

Group chairman Ferruccio Ferragamo said: “In 2014, we increased the number of ecommerce sites that we monitor. In China, we have also expanded our offline checks, targeting trade fairs and resellers in particular.

“We will further intensify our commitment to fighting counterfeiting in 2015, both to protect our intellectual property rights and to defend our customers. In this way, we will continue to wage this war with great determination, expanding controls both online and offline and ramping up anti-counterfeit measures, including with the customs authorities.”

He pointed to a court case Salvatore Ferragamo won in 2013 against a high-end hotel in China, whose store sold counterfeit products.