Parisian gang arrested for Balmain fashion robbery

Six people have been arrested for the theft of about 50 items from French luxury brand Balmain last September, which nearly derailed its show at Paris Fashion Week, a police source said on Wednesday.

The men, all in their 20s, were arrested the day before in the Paris suburbs, the source told AFP, confirming information first published 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 headquarters in Paris, just 10 days before its presentation at its women's clothing show.

“This is very 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 that the group was located and that during house searches several pieces of Balmain were found. They believe the label was not specifically targeted.

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

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

They managed to put together a lush collection, full of bold primary colors, shiny vinyl-style materials and elaborate floral arrangements.