Why people collect handbags

In 1984, actress Jane Birkin was seated next to Jean-Louis Dumas, the chairman of Hermes, on a flight from Paris to London. The story goes that she was struggling with an overfull straw basket and lamenting the lack of a practical leather bag. By the time they landed, the outline of what became the Birkin bag existed on the back of an air sickness bag. Whether the full story is precisely accurate is less important than what it reveals about how the Birkin became what it is

The bag has a creation myth that positions it as the product of a specific human encounter rather than a design committee. That narrative is part of what the market prices. The Birkin is also genuinely excellent. The leather is exceptional, the hardware is heavy and precisely made, the construction is hand-sewn by a single craftsperson from start to finish

These are objects made to a standard that is uncommon in any category and which the market has consistently valued accordingly.

CollectorGrade take

The Hermes bag market is built on genuine quality and engineered scarcity. Both are real. Understanding both is the foundation of collecting in this category seriously.