Paris gang arrested over Balmain fashion robbery

Six people have been arrested over the theft of some 50 items from French luxury brand Balmain last September that almost derailed its Paris Fashion Week show, a police source said Wednesday.

The men, all aged in their twenties, were arrested the previous day in the Paris suburbs, the source told AFP, confirming information first reported in lifestyle magazine Elle.

Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing revealed on social media on September 17 that an armed group had “hijacked” a van transporting the items from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the brand’s Paris headquarters, just 10 days before they were to be shown at its womenswear show.

“This is so disrespectful. I wanted to share this with you as a reminder to never take anything for granted,” Rousteing said at the time.

The police source told AFP the group had been tracked down and several Balmain pieces found during home searches. They believe the label was not specifically targeted.

“If it had been carried out to a specific order, the items would have been sold,” the source said.

For the fashion world, it was an unprecedented incident, and the Balmain team raced to remake the outfits in time for the show.

They managed to pull together an exuberant collection, full of unabashed primary colours, shiny vinyl-style materials and elaborate flower arrangements.