A taggant composition including a taggant material that is invisible in light of the visible spectrum and fluoresces under a non-visible excitation energy, a binder, and a solvent in which the taggant material and the binder are dissolved. The taggant composition can be printed or otherwise applied to a material such as fabric to provide a detectable and identifiable indicium. A method and apparatus for detecting and decoding the taggant indicium are also provided.