Luxury handbags are “wearable works of art”
19/06/2018
Rachel Koffsky, handbag at accessories specialist at Christie’s, made the comment after a diamond-encrusted Himalaya Birkin bag, made by Hermès, was sold for £162,000, setting a new European record for the most expensive handbag sold at auction.
The 10-year-old bag, made from white Nile crocodile skin and featuring an 18-carat, white gold, diamond-encrusted lock, exceeded its list price of £100,000-£150,000.
“Last year our handbag sale made £2m and this year it became almost £3m,” Ms Koffsky said. “We have two years in a row set the European record for the most valuable bag sold at auction.”
She added: “Women are now seeing their handbag collections as not only investment opportunities but as an extension of their personalities. The collector would want to wear the bag, they are wearable works of art. I encourage my collectors to use their bags because when you see how impeccable the craftsmanship is is how they look after a little bit of wear.”
The global record was set in June 2017 when a similar Birkin bag, made by Hermès in 2014, was sold for nearly £253,000 at an auction in Hong Kong.
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