These days, the victims are the designers who are falling prey to gangs with just one thing on their mind - getting their hands on the latest designs off the runway. Anthony Symonds, a British designer, had a shock the day after his disco-inspired debut on the London Fashion Week runways last month. The only good news was that Symonds had back-up samples at his press office on the other side of town.
Life is hard enough for young fashion designers.
The period when designers are getting their new collections together is the prime time for trouble,'' said a spokesman for London's Scotland Yard. Police believe the designs are either sold on market stalls or, more lucratively for the criminals, passed on to factories in the Far East for copying. British designers, with their reputation for originality and creativity, are currently the number one target for ''designer'' thieves. The British are also considered easy targets because few of them can afford the services of security guards. The sting was simple.