Fashion
Chinese woman charged over gold theft at Paris Natural History Museum
By
AFP
Published
October 21, 2025
A Chinese woman has been arrested and charged over the theft of gold from the Natural History Museum in Paris, in one of several recent high-profile break-ins targeting French cultural institutions, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
The theft — by what the museum’s director at the time said was an “extremely professional team”- took place on September 16, a little over a month before an audacious jewellery heist at the world-famous Louvre museum on Sunday.
A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested in Barcelona on September 30 over the Natural History Museum break-in and theft of gold worth more than $1 million, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said.
The suspect was handed over to French authorities on October 13 and was charged with theft and criminal conspiracy and put in provisional detention the same day.
Investigations showed she had left France the day of the break-in and was preparing to return to China. At the time of her arrest, she was trying to dispose of nearly one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of melted gold pieces, the prosecutor said, without providing more details.
The Natural History Museum curator discovered the theft of exhibited gold nuggets after a cleaner reported debris on site. The stolen items included nuggets from Bolivia donated in the 18th century, from Russia’s Ural region gifted by Tsar Nicholas I in 1833, and from California dating to the gold rush era.
A five-kilogramme nugget from Australia discovered in 1990 was also taken, Beccuau said. Nearly six kilograms of native gold was stolen, with damages estimated at 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million), she added, noting that the historical and scientific value of the pieces was “priceless”.
Native gold is a metal alloy containing gold and silver in their natural, unrefined form.
Investigators found two museum doors had been cut with a grinder and the display case breached using a blowtorch. Tools including a blowtorch, grinder, screwdriver, gas cylinders and saws were recovered nearby.
Surveillance footage showed a lone intruder entering the museum shortly after 1:00 am and leaving around 4:00 am, according to Beccuau. The investigation is ongoing, she added.
Police are also still on the hunt for thieves who stole priceless royal jewels from the Louvre museum in a spectacular daylight robbery on Sunday. The heist has reignited a row over a lack of security in France’s museums.
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Published
January 21, 2026
Warped, a proudly Australian menswear brand, made its debut at the recent Pitti Uomo 109, unveiling its first-ever collection for Autumn–Winter 2026/27. Warped channels a strong, functional and authentic masculinity, free of artifice: a man capable of moving with equal ease through the Australian outback or a metropolis, without ever betraying himself. This vision translates into a collection that combines ready-to-wear, streetwear and active-functional pieces, underpinned by rigorous material research, responsible production, and a strong connection to Australia’s history and identity.
The brand is so steeped in the free-spirited, authentic ethos of Mitch “Crocodile” Dundee, a cult figure of 1980s cinema who helped shape the image abroad of the no-nonsense Australian, that even the founder- who arrived in Milan with his two sons, aged 18 and 15, already active in the company- looks like the very character created by Paul Hogan.
“Crocodile Dundee is not just a film to us; it’s a way of being in the world. It’s about a man who hunts crocodiles with his bare hands in the outback and stays true to himself even under the dazzling lights of the metropolis,” Warped founder Jack Cassidy Williams explained to FashionNetwork.com. “It’s the story of a man who enters a sophisticated system without changing who he is. Functional, direct, honest. This is who we are. We’re not here to bend to fashion’s unwritten rules, but to bring our own way of doing things: less artifice, more reality.”
“Everything in the collection is handmade by my family. We design it, select the fabrics, create the patterns, and develop everything together- my children and I- in Australia. Traditional garments with modern finishes, in terms of handle and functionality; we even offer waterproof clothing, such as GOTS-certified waterproof cotton. Then there’s denim. All the fabrics are 100% made in Italy,” Cassidy Williams continues. At the heart of the collection is extensive fabric research: 100% RWS wool; high-stretch scuba fabrics and bi-stretch wool; cotton denim with a 3D weave effect; water-repellent cottons, viscose and viscose/linen blends for suits, jackets and trousers; high-performance, ultra-comfortable fabrics; and kangaroo-leather laces- a material five times as strong as cowhide- hand-finished with raw edges and authentic details.
“The collection is, in a way, a tribute to America, because the theme is the so-called ramblin’ man, or the free man; it’s basically about my whole life,” says the Australian entrepreneur. “All those people who decided to forge their own journey, to walk the path of life without following someone else. Like Hank Williams, Jack Kerouac, Duke Ellington, Bird, Muddy Waters, Pinetop, or Woody Guthrie- men who honoured life. Nowadays it’s so difficult to be free that freedom really is a state of mind. It’s our first collection through and through; we practically finished it before boarding the plane,” Cassidy Williams laughs heartily, then slips on a floppy wide-brimmed hat, slings a kangaroo hide over his shoulder and, as he pretends to crack a whip in the air, looks even more like Mitch Dundee- all after letting us taste a kangaroo salami and crocodile snacks…
“Our family has a textile tradition of great depth- more than sixty years- so Warped also works with the best global manufacturers in the mid-luxury segment: lace from France, fabrics from Italy, and other high-quality materials sourced from factories in Turkey, Japan and Korea,” Jack Cassidy Williams continues. “These factories were chosen not for trend’s sake, but because they’re unique- each one different from the next.”
Warped’s menswear collection for Autumn–Winter 2026/27 comprises around 40 looks spanning ready-to-wear, streetwear, and active-functional pieces. Jackets, suits, trousers, shorts, shirts, and T-shirts sit alongside a street and sportswear offer that includes hoodies, joggers and technical garments, all designed to be comfortable, durable, easy to care for, and genuinely wearable day to day.
Alongside the Warped men’s line, the company presented the Golden Age Sportswear (G.A.S) label in Milan, while the Warped Woman, and G.A.S Woman’s Street collections will debut in Italy from next Spring/Summer.
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The fourth quarter (Q4) confirmed the momentum seen throughout the year. Revenues for the three months to December 31, reached €388.6 million, up 11.9 per cent at constant exchange rates, despite what management described as a particularly demanding comparison base following strong growth in late 2024. This consistency of growth underlined the resilience of demand for the brand’s high-end collections.
Brunello Cucinelli has reported preliminary FY25 revenues of €1,407.7 million (~$1.63 billion), up 11.5 per cent at constant exchange rates, driven by strong retail and wholesale demand.
Retail sales rose 12.9 per cent, while Asia led regional growth.
Heavy investment in Made in Italy capacity lifted debt but supports future expansion.
The company expects around 10 per cent revenue growth in 2026.
Retail remained the cornerstone of performance in FY25, with revenues rising 12.9 per cent at constant exchange rates and accelerating further to 14.5 per cent in the fourth quarter (Q4) alone. The company said this was supported by both solid like-for-like sales and the contribution of new and expanded boutiques.
During the year, Brunello Cucinelli completed major expansions in London, Paris and Los Angeles, and opened new locations in Carmel in the Los Angeles area, Macau and Shanghai Pudong. As of December 31, 2025, the brand operated 136 mono-brand boutiques worldwide, alongside 57 directly managed spaces in leading luxury department stores.
The wholesale channel also delivered healthy growth, with revenues rising 8.5 per cent at constant exchange rates for the year and 6.3 per cent in the second half. Strong sell-through of the Spring/Summer 2025 and Autumn/Winter 2025 collections, combined with replenishments during the year, supported the performance. Early deliveries of the Spring/Summer 2026 line and very positive feedback on the women’s Autumn/Winter 2026 pre-collection further strengthened order intake towards the end of the year, Brunello Cucinelli said in a press release.
Geographically, Americas remained the group’s largest market, generating €520.5 million in revenues, equivalent to 37 per cent of total turnover, and growing 11.9 per cent at constant exchange rates. The region delivered double-digit growth in every quarter, with fourth-quarter sales up 14.2 per cent, even against a very strong comparison in late 2024. Management attributed this to the brand’s positioning at the very top end of the luxury market and the loyalty of its core clientele.
Europe contributed €494.6 million, or 35.1 per cent of total revenues, with growth of 8.1 per cent at constant exchange rates. Italy stood out within the region, where revenues rose 12.5 per cent to €158.5 million, supported by strong domestic demand. High-end tourism flows also continued to support sales across key European markets.
Asia was the fastest-growing region, with revenues of €392.6 million, up 15.3 per cent at constant exchange rates and accounting for 27.9 per cent of total turnover. China remained a major growth driver, delivering consistent double-digit expansion quarter after quarter. The company said Chinese consumers are increasingly focused on quality, craftsmanship and manual skills, aligning well with Brunello Cucinelli’s positioning. South Korea and Japan also posted solid results, while the Middle East delivered strong performances on the back of both local and international clientele.
Beyond commercial results, 2025 was also a strategically important year in terms of investment. The group accelerated by around six months the completion of its three-year 2024-2026 plan focused on strengthening Made in Italy artisanal production. Over the past two years, Brunello Cucinelli has doubled the size of its Solomeo headquarters and built two new men’s tailoring facilities in Gubbio and Penne (Italy), significantly expanding its production capacity. Investments in 2025 alone amounted to around €145 million, equivalent to about 10.5 per cent of revenues.
These investments, together with the distribution of €69 million in dividends, representing a 50 per cent payout ratio, lifted characteristic financial indebtedness to around €200 million at the end of December 31, 2025. The company said it expects net debt to progressively improve in the coming years as capital expenditure returns to more normal levels following the completion of these major projects.
“We have closed a year which we have defined as record-breaking, both in terms of revenues and brand image; given the quality of sales, we anticipate a healthy, sustainable, and balanced profit for 2025,” said Brunello Cucinelli, executive chairman and creative director of the company. “From the perspective of image, style, and lifestyle, we recognise in our Italian Casa di Moda a harmonious identity, cultivated over time with a sense of moderation, consistency, and equilibrium.”
Looking ahead, management said the start of sales for the Spring/Summer 2026 collection has been very positive, while feedback and order intake for the women’s Autumn/Winter 2026 pre-collection have been excellent. On this basis, Brunello Cucinelli expects revenue to grow by around 10 per cent in 2026.
The company reiterated its confidence in its medium-term strategy under the 2024–2028 five-year plan. With 2026 representing the third year of this programme, Brunello Cucinelli continues to target revenues of approximately €1.8 billion by 2028, while preserving exclusivity, craftsmanship, Made in Italy heritage, brand positioning and sustainability.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
The global consultancy said 2026 will be defined by resilience in domestic consumption, decisive policy reforms, and recalibration of trade strategy, as India navigates spillover effects from protectionist shifts in advanced economies, volatile capital flows, and higher tariffs on select exports.
Despite global uncertainty and rising trade frictions, India is expected to outpace peer economies, supported by low inflation, robust consumption, and sustained public investment.
Deloitte cautioned that delayed trade deals and US tariffs could cap export growth, reinforcing the need for supply-side reforms to build long-term resilience.
Despite these headwinds, India maintained strong momentum in the first half of fiscal 2025-26, recording 8 per cent growth, driven by robust private consumption and investment. Inflation averaged 1.8 per cent, its lowest level in a decade, boosting real incomes and consumer confidence.
Private consumption rose 7.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in the second quarter (Q2), supported by tax relief, goods and services tax (GST) rationalisation, and favourable monsoon conditions. At the same time, government capital expenditure accelerated, with utilisation reaching 51.8 per cent in the first half of the fiscal, lifting gross fixed capital formation growth to 7.6 per cent.
On the production side, gross value added (GVA) expanded 8.1 per cent in Q2, led by manufacturing growth of 9.1 per cent and services growth of 9.2 per cent.
Deloitte noted that policy co-ordination played a central role in cushioning the economy. Fiscal measures focused on boosting disposable incomes and sustaining infrastructure investment, while the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) delivered a cumulative 125-basis-point rate cut in 2025 to support credit growth and domestic demand. The long-pending labour codes, implemented in 2025, are expected to improve ease of doing business and accelerate job formalisation.
On the external front, India continued to diversify trade partnerships through agreements with the UK, New Zealand, Oman, and European Free Trade Association (EFTA), while expanding engagement with emerging markets across Africa, Southeast Asia, and West Asia. However, delays in the proposed United States (US)-India trade agreement remain a key risk for exporters.
Deloitte estimated that in the absence of a US-India trade agreement, American tariffs could shave 0.3-0.4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from Indian exports, likely keeping goods export growth subdued in the near-term.
Looking ahead, policy priorities must transition from demand-led support to supply-side reforms such as GST 2.0, improved logistics efficiency, and productivity gains to sustain growth and strengthen resilience against future global shocks, Deloitte noted.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (CG)
Warped begins worldwide debut in Italy with its menswear line
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