Two London start-up owners who were left devastated after brick-wielding thieves robbed their stores have decided to take the incident on the chin – with a good laugh.
Julian Osborne and Sam Matanle, both 29, are the owners of Batch LDN, a clothing shop located on Commercial Street in Spitalfields.
On 24 October at 4am, two bricks were launched through their store window with thieves nicking clothes worth £6,000 – including their new B06 AW24 line luxury wool Herringbone suits.
While the pair were at first dismayed, they are both trying to see the bright side.
They have launched an awareness campaign to get the suits back – naming it ‘See it. Say it. Suited’ – a hilarious spin on London Transport Police’s message.
“At least we know our new collection is nice enough that it’s worth stealing,” said co-founder, Sam.
“We’ve been taken aback by how much people care for our personal well-being, but also Batch, a small business.”
The duo are collaborating with a creative agency called 10 Days on the campaign.
The advert reads: “We’re on a mission to get these bricks back to their rightful owners.
“We need your help, London.
“Equally, we’d quite like our suits back, too.
“If you see anything crop up online, please let us know.
“Thieves, if you are reading this, we’ll happily trade your bricks for the safe return of our suits.”
The message is pictured alongside an image of the suits that were stolen and the smashed shop window in the background.
To help boost the campaign, Sam Dayeh at London Lites has also provided the team with free billboard coverage for seven days in Shoreditch.
Julian added: “The reality is, as we make most of the sales in-store, this theft is going to have a damaging effect on our business during a really important period for us.
“But sometimes you need to lean into a crisis.
“We’ve moved pretty swiftly.
“Being able to turn around [a] creative and find a billboard wasn’t easy, but I’m happy with what we’ve been able to pull off.
“You can only deal the cards you’ve been dealt.”
It’s believed that around 20 items were stolen including 10 suits.
READ MORE: Brick wielding thieves smash suit shop window and take off on bikes with £6,000 worth of loot
