Sweater loss sets back designer

Entrepreneur has $12,000 worth of cashmere disappear before a big show.It was supposed to be a big weekend for fashion designer Julie Willgeroth. The local entrepreneur was slated for a big trunk show in Las Vegas to display her spring collection of cashmere sweaters under her own label, “knitwit.” Celebrities and clothing buyers were planning to attend.

For the 30-year-old designer from Newport Beach, it was all happening -- until her entire collection of 44 cashmere sweaters was stolen from just outside the front gate to her Corona del Mar home, minutes before she and her fiance were leaving for the airport.

The theft forced Willgeroth to cancel her show -- and with it, all hopes of catching the eyes of buyers and celebrities during fashion week.

“All these people were waiting on them -- they’re gone!” Willgeroth said.

She had spent days carefully packing a large, black, Tumi duffel bag with the sweaters. Finally, ready to leave for the airport and catch a flight to Vegas, Willgeroth placed the bag just outside her white picket fence, while she went inside for several minutes to finish some last-minute tasks.

When she came out of the house, the bag was gone.

Willgeroth’s home on Poinsettia Avenue sits alongside a high-traffic alleyway that gives drivers on nearby 2nd Avenue easy access to East Coast Highway.

She thinks someone drove through, saw the bag and snatched it up. It’s possible someone could have been watching her and then stole the bag, or maybe someone snatched it, with no idea of what they were taking, Willgeroth said.

“I just don’t think anybody possibly could have known just how important it truly was,” Willgeroth said.

She’s now offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to the recovery of her sweaters. No questions asked, Willgeroth said.

So far, police don’t have any leads, said Newport Police Sgt. Bill Hartford.

“In property crimes, what we do is put out teletypes to other law enforcement agencies to see if they have similar pattern occurring,” Hartford said.

The detective assigned to the case will continually check pawn shops and eBay for the stolen merchandise, Hartford said.

The sweaters are unique and could be easily spotted if someone were to try to sell them, Willgeroth said. Over the weekend she traveled to several local swap meets to see if anyone was hawking her cashmeres; but still, no luck.

Willgeroth, who attended Newport Harbor High School and graduated from UCLA, grew up designing clothes in her parent’s garage. After working for six years in the music business, Willgeroth decided to go after her passion and started designing her own line of cashmere sweaters

“I’ve always just loved clothes,” Willgeroth said.

The sweaters come in a palette of colors and are marked with fresh designs and witty quips, such as “What if the hokey pokey is what it’s all about?” Other sweaters have funky iron-on decals of classic cars.

She got her inspiration from bumper stickers or a funny remark said between friends.

“Whatever I see that interests me,” Willgeroth said.

Willgeroth’s sweaters are being sold now in the Talulah G boutique in Fashion Island, as well as stores in West Hollywood, Santa Monica and San Francisco.

However, the sweaters stolen last Friday weren’t in stores and many were one-of-a-kind samples, Willgeroth said.

Because Willgeroth’s business is registered in Irvine, her insurance won’t cover the loss.

Although the spring collection might be a loss, the only way to bounce back is to come out with a strong fall line, she said.

“I’m going to do it bigger and better, so it doesn’t hurt so bad,” Willgeroth said.

The stolen bag is a black Tumi rolling duffel suitcase, approximately 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. It went missing around 1:15 p.m. Oct. 14, from outside a white picket fence in the 400 block of Poinsettia Avenue. Willgeroth is asking that anyone who knows anything about the bag e-mail her at info@shopknitwit.com. 20051021iooosqknCOURTENAY NEARBURG / DAILY PILOT(LA)Local designer Julie Willgeroth stands where her sweaters disappeared.