An influencer has shared the ‘heartbreaking’ moment her brand new Birkin bag was stolen from her while she was trying on clothes in a designer store in London.
Model Janice Joostema, who has 1.2 million followers on Instagram, posted CCTV footage of the shocking moment her Hermes Birkin shoulder bag was swiped as she was undressing in a VIP changing room in Manière De Voir on Oxford Street.
It comes amid a terrifying wave of designer handbag thefts, with robbers targeting £600,000 worth of products from two London showrooms just three weeks apart.
Footage shows the thief, dressed in a long white coat, sneaking through the luxury store, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Moments later, she is seen brazenly opening the locker room door and sneaking in.
Ms Joostema claims she had turned her back because the windows looked out onto Oxford Street and she was putting on a top, adding: ‘She probably even saw me come into the room topless and take it away.’
The thief is seen briefly walking in and out of the dressing room before suddenly appearing with the Birkin bag on her arm. In an attempt to make a quick escape, her other bag got stuck on the door handle.
Finally, she freed herself, ran down the stairs and fled the building with the coveted bag that wealthy bag lovers are eager to buy.
Completely stunned, you then see a panicky Mrs. Joostema sprint out of the dressing room to find out what happened.
Model Janice Joostema has shared the ‘heartbreaking’ moment her brand new Birkin bag was stolen from her while she was trying on clothes in a luxury store in London.
Ms Joostema shared a photo of her brand new Hermes Birkin that she had only had for a week
Footage shows the thief sneaking through the luxury store, looking at clothes and talking to someone on the phone
Waiting for the perfect moment to strike, she then opened the door of the dressing room where the influencer was
The thief then made a quick escape, with the Hermes Birkin shoulder bag on her arm
Made from materials such as crocodile and alligator skins, as well as luxurious leathers with luxury names like Tadelakt and Monsieur Grainee, Birkin bags take at least 18 hours to make by hand.
Ms Joostema’s bag was a red Hermes JPG Shoulder Birkin, which sells for more than £10,000 online.
The influencer issued a sharp warning to Londoners when she shared the shocking images.
She wrote: ‘Londoners beware. Thieves enter locker rooms when they see you’re turned, they watch you while you’re changed and naked just to steal your stuff.
“My brand new Hermes shoulder Birkin that I had for less than a week was stolen while I was being turned over and turned into a top in this room. I was facing away from the door because the room is all windows.
‘She stuck her head in twice. I was naive and thought maybe she was innocently looking for the bathroom or something.”
Ms Joostema said she was “unharmed” but that her passport had been stolen at “the hands of this selfish individual”. She was forced to cancel her holiday to Switzerland.
The model added, “To work so hard for something and take it like that is heartbreaking, for someone to buy items like that is a big deal, it’s not something small, and I don’t want to be materialistic, but it is human morality and the principle of the value of money, and that touches deeply for someone who has always dreamed of having an Hermès bag and just grabs it.
Ms Joostema has called on people to help identify the woman who brutally took her bag
This is the moment the influencer realized her Birkin was gone as she sprinted out of the locker room
Ms Joostema said: ‘It is really sad to know that there are people in the world who commit such crimes against other people.’
Ms. Joostema is a model and influencer. She was supposed to go on vacation, but her passport was in the stolen bag
This is the inside of the VIP dressing room where Mrs. Joostema was. The windows overlook Oxford Street
The model thanks everyone for their support after ‘loss of faith in humanity’
Mrs Joostema’s holiday to Switzerland was canceled because her passport was also stolen
“I believe everything happens for a reason, but it’s really sad to know that there are people in the world who commit such crimes against other people.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘On Tuesday, December 17, following the circulation of a video of the incident, officers contacted the victim of a theft that took place at a shop in Oxford Street.
‘No arrests have been made at this stage. This matter is under investigation.”
It comes just two weeks after two masked robbers burst into a designer showroom and walked out with ‘thousands of pounds’ worth of luxury handbags in what the owner said was a ‘targeted’ four-minute robbery.
Evey Amery, a luxury consignment seller, felt ‘sick’ and ‘shocked’ after discovering her north London showroom had been cleared of expensive second-hand Chanel, Hermes and Dior bags in an ‘aggressive’ overnight raid on December 3.
Her robbery comes just three weeks after three men stole £500,000 worth of luxury shares from a handbag shop called Sellier in Belgravia.
Police did not consider the robberies to be related, but word has spread throughout the sector. Shops are now on their toes in the run-up to Christmas as the black market is in full swing.
Ms Amery, who has owned her business that Eveys loved since 2021, found it very ‘disturbing’ to view the CCTV footage of the robbery but was grateful she was not inside at the time.
Exclusive footage obtained by MailOnline shows two masked robbers trying to break into the showroom at 10.40pm.
The black-clad robbers, carrying bags and tools, were seen trying to forcefully kick down the door. But if they couldn’t break through the door with their body weight, they use what looks like a crowbar or similar tool to pry the door open.
Less than four minutes later, they appear again on CCTV and walk out with duffel bags filled with ‘dozens and dozens’ of used designer bags, including some from luxury brand Chanel. Cartier watches were also said to have been stolen during the shock robbery.
It comes just weeks after two balaclava-clad men left a north London showroom with two duffel bags full of stolen handbags
Evey Amery is seen with the handbags behind her before they were stolen. There were several Chanel handbags on display that were taken
You see the masked robbers enter the first door of the hallway and search the area
They then target the third entrance on the right and try to knock down the door by kicking it
One of the thieves then turned around and tried to kick open the door with his body weight
The luxury handbags pictured above were among those stolen during the overnight robbery. It featured bags from Dior, Chanel and Hermes
That robbery took place after three men stole £500,000 worth of designer goods from another luxury consignment store in a raid that again lasted just under four minutes last month.
Luxury consignments have gained significant popularity in recent years. This allows buyers to obtain second-hand luxury items at a lower price.
Shocking footage shows the black-clad trio smashing through the front window and stealing luxury items from the Sellier store on November 13.
The CCTV footage showed two of the men forcing their way into the store before starting to take as much as they could.
They packed clothes and other luxury items into duffel bags before quickly leaving the store.
And in another handbag heist, three men dressed in black launched a raid on the Sellier store in London in November
Store owner Hanushka Toni said the burglary is “absolutely devastating” to her business
Pictured: The burglars broke in to gain access to the store before carrying out the raid
Blood was found at the scene by police officers who arrived just five minutes after the burglary occurred at 1.50am on November 13.
The raided store in upscale Belgravia sells second-hand luxury items and among the stolen items were six luxury bags which could be worth a combined £40,000.
This included four Chanel bags, a Hermes Kelly 35 and a Hermes Birkin which is currently selling online for £14,000.
The third man waited outside the door for a motorcycle which was their escape route as they drove away with the stolen goods.