£230,000 handbag!
Snapped up, record-breaking Hermes item made of croc skin
FOR many, a beautiful new handbag can look so alluring that you simply have to buy it – whatever the price tag.
so maybe it is best that those with a weakness for high fashion avert their eyes from this Himalaya Birkin bag.
Because the diamond and white gold encrusted accessory has sold for £230,000, setting a new world record.
it was made by French fashion house Hermes and is said to be the most desirable design in the world and the ‘holy grail’ for collectors.
the market for handbags has taken off recently with some increasing in value by as much as 40 per cent in the space of a year. they are now seen as a more secure
‘Holy grail for collectors’
and lucrative investment than art and stocks and shares. the Himalaya Birkin bag is made from the skin of the niloticus crocodile found in Africa.
the name derives from the graduation of its colour from grey to pearly white that resembles the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas.
it was bought during an online sale held by auctioneers Christie’s, which raised a total of £1.75million overall.
it was the most expensive lot, selling to an anonymous buyer for a record-breaking fee of £231,000.
the price makes it the most expensive handbag ever bought in any online-only auction. it was also the biggest amount ever paid for a bag sold in America. rachel Koffsky, the head of sales at Christie’s, said: ‘the Himalayan handbag is the most collectable handbag in the world and the holy grail for collectors.
‘the highest level of craftsmanship goes into making them and they represent the pinnacle of craftsmanship.
‘they are very rare but the exact number is not known. Our clients are international collectors, most are female who want to buy them to use and show off.
‘some do keep them for display but they are wearable works of art and [others] wear them only for a very special occasion such as a wedding.’
Christie’s also holds the record for handbags sold at any auction – £305,000 for another Himalaya Birkin in 2017.