PARIS, FRANCE – MARCH 04: A guest wears grey Hermes bag outside Sacai during the Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024/2025 as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images) Forget the market, the glitter of gold bars, and the chaos of crypto; the most powerful investment of the modern days may be swinging from the arm of someone stepping out in Sandton traffic. Some people do not see the value in buying expensive clothes because they believe it is not an investment, but that is not the case with the over R200 000 Hermès Birkin handbag.
However, not any regular person can buy the bag. Only customers with a sizeable purchase history at Hermès are offered the opportunity to buy a “quota bag,” such as a Birkin or a Kelly. The ultra-rare Hermès Birkin, inspired by the 1960s-era French movie star Jane Birkin, could fetch twice its sticker price on the secondary market within five years, according to experts.
While markets dip and digital coins crash, the Birkin keeps climbing, driven by rarity, craftsmanship, and a global obsession that only intensifies each year. These handbags are so rare that for an individual to get a brand-new one, they need to wait for at least two years. However, those in a hurry can buy them at pre-owned stores, making money for the previous owner.
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James Firestein, founder of luxury resale and authentication platform OpenLuxury, toldFortunethat the resale value of particularly the Birkin and Kelly bags over the past 10 years has outpaced gold. “I know several instances where people have doubled their money based on buying it 10 years ago, and reselling it today in pristine condition,” he said. But even Hermès’ most loyal shoppers don’t get to choose the exact Birkin model they want.
The brand allows boutiques to purchase a select number of Birkins per season, and the style of the bags is rarely known ahead of time. Firestein estimated that 75% of the people who own the bag actually use them, while the remaining 25% keep them in storage as investments.
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