Investigators are speculating that fashion counterfeiters are responsible. After eluding the building's alarm system, the thieves made a beeline for the third floor, where Ferragamo's new collections are on display for corporate customers. They ignored other, much more valuable items in their path, leading police to believe that they knew exactly what they were looking for. The collection is not yet on sale in stores, and the stolen designs will likely be used as models for knock-offs.

The atelier, once a hangout for fashionable stars like Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn, is located in a palazzo near the Arno River.