Balmain Designer Says Robbers Made off with 50 Items for His Upcoming Paris Fashion Week Show

Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)
TT

Balmain Designer Says Robbers Made off with 50 Items for His Upcoming Paris Fashion Week Show

Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)
Models present creations by designer Olivier Rousteing as part of his Spring-Summer 2023 ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Balmain during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2022. (Reuters)

Balmain artistic director Olivier Rousteing says robbers have made off with more than 50 pieces of the new collection that his Paris house intends to show at Fashion Week later this month.

Posting overnight Sunday on Instagram, Rousteing said a group of people hijacked his delivery driver on the way from an airport to Balmain's Paris headquarters. He said they made off with the last pieces he'd been expecting for the Sept. 27 womenswear show — more than 50 items in all. He didn't detail the pieces.

"Our delivery was hijacked," he wrote. "Thank God, the driver is safe."

"So many people worked so hard to make this collection," he added. "We are redoing everything but this is so so disrespectful."

"We won’t give up."

He didn't specify which airport the delivery driver was coming from. Paris has two main international airports. Rousteing wrote that he'd been waiting in his office Saturday morning when "our driver called us and said that he was hijacked by a group of people."

"This is so unfair. My team and I worked so hard," he wrote. "We will work more, days and nights. Our suppliers will work days and night as well."

Paris police directed Associated Press questions to prosecutors who couldn't immediately be reached for comment on the weekend.



Report: L'Oreal in Talks to Buy Migros’ South Korean Cosmetic Unit

The logo of French cosmetics group L'Oreal is seen on a company building in Paris, France, February 7, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of French cosmetics group L'Oreal is seen on a company building in Paris, France, February 7, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Report: L'Oreal in Talks to Buy Migros’ South Korean Cosmetic Unit

The logo of French cosmetics group L'Oreal is seen on a company building in Paris, France, February 7, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of French cosmetics group L'Oreal is seen on a company building in Paris, France, February 7, 2024. (Reuters)

French cosmetics giant L'Oreal is in final talks to acquire the South Korean skincare business Gowoonsesang Cosmetics owned by Mibelle Group, a unit of Swiss retailer Migros, according to two sources with knowledge of the deal.

An announcement could be made as soon as Monday, one of the people said.

A spokesperson for Migros said it did not comment on market rumors. L'Oreal did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Mibelle acquired its stake in South Korean Gowoonsesang Cosmetics, which sells skin care products under the Dr.G brand, in 2018.

In February, Migros announced a strategic review for Mibelle Group, saying it wanted to find a new owner for the business.

Mibelle produces cosmetics for its own brands, including Dr.G, Imbue., Lee Stafford, and Mine, as well as for other brands, according to its website.

Dr.G is the No. 1 facial care line in the Korean dermocosmetics market, according to the Mibelle website.

Spanish investment bank Alantra was hired as adviser after the strategic review, to look for buyers for the business, one of the sources said.

A spokesperson for Alantra declined to comment.

Mibelle employs 1,615 people in five countries, with revenues of 661 million Swiss francs ($739.04)in 2023, according to its website.