A man has been charged with burglary after raiders broke into celebrity optician Tom Davies’ shop in Sloane Square and stole hundreds of frames worth £500,000 including glasses made for the new movie ‘Cruella’.
Kirk Marchbank, 49, who lives in Fulham, south west London, will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court today.
The arrest comes three weeks after two masked burglars broke into the flagship store during a dawn raid on June 9 and stole up to half a million pounds worth of glasses, counting six pairs of the most iconic Cruella frames.
Entrepreneur Mr Davies – who designed five sets of 120 pairs of frames for the Disney film – had planned to display its key frames in the shop to coincide with London Fashion Week.
The 46-year-old told MailOnline: ‘We’re hugely grateful to the police for acting swiftly and hope that they will soon be able to charge both burglars.
‘The incident was horrible for me and my staff, but we’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness of people all around the world who’ve heard this story.
The entrance can be seen smashed after two masked burglars broke into the shop in Sloane Square, London, during a dawn raid on June 9 and stole up to £500,000 worth of glasses
The two burglars were captured in footage during the raid. They even stole six pairs of glasses designed for the new Disney movie Cruella
‘We’ve been inundated with messages of goodwill from friends and complete strangers – one lovely elderly lady in a care home even sent us a £10 note to help compensate for our loss.
‘We’d like to thank everyone who’s been in touch for their tremendous support.’
The optician is very much the Willy Wonka of eyewear, using gold business cards and making glasses out of crushed meteorites and glow-in-the-dark stars in his Brentford factory.
He rose to fame after making glasses for celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Heston Blumenthal, Carrie Fisher and Susannah Constantine.
The businessman has also created frames for a dozen Hollywood films including Superman, Spiderman, Angelina Jolie in the Tourist, Brad Pitt in Allied and Rowan Atkinson in Keeping Mum.
He was commissioned by costume designer Jenny Beavan to create a pair of glasses for Emma Thompson – who plays the narcissistic head of a London fashion house, Baroness von Hellman, in Cruella – but ended up making frames for nearly every member of the cast.
The interior of celebrity optician Tom Davies’ flagship store in Sloane Square following the smash and grab raid where hundreds of frames were stolen
Mr Davies was commissioned by costume designer Jenny Beavan to create a pair of glasses for Emma Thompson (pictured above) – who plays the narcissistic head of a London fashion house, Baroness von Hellman, in Cruella
After the raid Mr Davies released dramatic CCTV footage of the raid and put up posters with the headline ‘WANTED! #TomDaviesTheft’ on lamp posts around London, appealing for the glasses to be returned.
He wrote: ‘If you are offered any sunglasses with “TOM DAVIES FOR CRUELLA” engraved on the inside arm, please can you let us know @tdtomdavies.
‘Our store was broken into on 9 June at 2am and hundreds of frames were taken.
‘The thieves probably didn’t know they had also stolen glasses recently made for the film Cruella which were due to be auctioned off for charity.
‘These distinctive frames have a far bigger value at a charity auction than to the criminals who vandalised our store and will struggle to sell them.
Mr Davies (pictured) rose to fame after making glasses for celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Heston Blumenthal, Carrie Fisher and Susannah Constantine
After the burglary Davies released dramatic CCTV footage of the raid and put up posters with the headline ‘WANTED! #TomDaviesTheft’ on lamp posts around London
‘If you are offered any of these frames or have any information you can share, please let us or the local police know. If you have the glasses in your possession, we will swap them for a pair of Tom Davies sunglasses.’
Metropolitan Police detectives are believed to have retrieved one pair of Tom Davies sunglasses, which retail at £295, but none of the Cruella frames so far.
Mr Davies, who lives in Petersham, south west London, with his 44-year-old wife Kerstin and two children Oscar, 14, and Amelia, 12, added: ‘We’re still missing hundreds of pairs of glasses, including those from Cruella, and don’t know if any more will be returned.
‘Our offer to swap any returned Cruella frames for a pair of Tom Davies sunglasses still stands. Hopefully the sequel to this story will be a happy one.’
Mr Davies said the frames ‘have a far bigger value at a charity auction than to the criminals who vandalised our store and will struggle to sell them’ (Sloane Square shop pictured)
Mr Davies is known for making glasses out of crushed meteorites and glow-in-the-dark stars in his Brentford factory (pictured: interior of his Sloane Square shop)