MARC JACOBS spring/summer 2012 collection has been stolen en route to the brand's London press day - but a spokesperson this afternoon confirmed that only select duplicates were taken, rather than the entire collection as first believed, and that the originals were safe in New York. The MJ PR team sent out this email to inform the editors who were due to peruse the pieces at the MJ store in London: "Dear all, The Marc Jacobs PR team is sorry to inform you that our press day tomorrow in the Marc Jacobs store is cancelled, due to the theft of the spring/summer 2012 collections during its transfer from Paris." Cue hysteria.

The stolen goods debacle spells trouble for the hit US line - having no samples means no press day, no lending the samples to celebrities for red-carpet events and no fashion editorials - a must for any brand, no matter how powerful, to showcase its wares for the season. The pieces were stolen whilst in the care of a courier as they were being transferred from Paris to London. The company released a statement yesterday to apologise for the cancellation of the event - and the theft is now being investigated by the police in London.  

We can only guess (fear) that the collection was stolen for the purpose of ripping it off, because it’s going to be hard to sell it on the black market without drawing a lot of attention. We’re completely horrified by this fashion heist! We’ll update as we know more. 

Update - Latest

A report from the Metropolitan Police in London now confirms the theft of the collection is very much a real investigation with Marc Jacobs also offering a reward for anyone with any information. The clothes were stolen “in the Mount Street area” of London near the Marc Jacobs boutique where the label’s UK press day was set to take place, presumably out of the courier van parked outside, which had transported the 'Jazz age inspired' pieces from Paris.

Police also estimated the value of the stolen materials to be around £40,000. The culprit is still unknown but is suspected to be counterfeiters. Interestingly, an anonymous source from Marc Jacobs told CNN that theft is not unusual for the company. It’s also still unclear how many samples were stolen. We’re not sure if £40,000 is based on retail or wholesale value, but either way it seems a little low for an entire collection. Still we feel terrible for Marc Jacobs! Impressively though, the company still has hope and is offering the reward to anyone who happens to see “chic truck drivers cruising around Europe dressed in #SS12 Collection”: (Tweeted today!)

Once again we'll keep you updated as the story progresses.