Hermès Himalaya Birkin offered by Christie’s - for immediate purchase
The Paris division of Christie’s auction house is offering a 2020-made Hermès Himalaya Birkin 25 handbag (pictured) for immediate purchase. (The number 25 refers to the bag’s width in centimetres.)
The Birkin’s availability for purchase was advertised via the official Instagram account for the auction house’s handbags and accessories department.
Ordinarily, a Himalaya Birkin bag - described by Christie’s as the “ultimate” or “Holy Grail” handbag, a “wearable work of art” - would be the subject of bidding, if offered by an auction house. (The Himalaya Birkin’s sister, the Himalaya Kelly, has been described by Christie’s as “the rarest handbag in the world”.)
On November 27, 2020, Christie’s achieved a new world record for the most expensive handbag sold at auction with a Himalaya Kelly 25 realising a price of $437,330. At the same auction, a Himalaya Birkin 25 realised $388,738.
Hermès’ Himalaya pieces are crafted from Nile crocodile hide and are so named for the hide’s gradation of colour, thanks to skilled dyeing by the luxury brand’s artisans, which resembles the snow-capped Himalaya mountain range, according to Christie’s.
The introduction of the original series of Himalaya Birkins during the 1990s resulted in a “collecting phenomenon”, the auction house said, with Hermès subsequently producing a limited number of Himalaya Kelly bags for top clients.
Himalaya bags with diamond-encrusted white gold or palladium hardware are the most sought-after, fetching the highest prices.
Interestingly, this Birkin is being offered for immediate purchase, with Christie’s directing potential buyers to the Instagram account of in-house handbag specialist Lucile Andreani for further details, pointing to some luxury players’ ever-diversifying manipulation of social media in their bid to reach high-net-worth, global clients.
Image: Christie’s.
