

Sections
Services
Highlight
Gloria Salgado
Madrid
Domingo, 2 de febrero 2025, 01:05
With Hermès, simply arriving, flashing a credit card, and sealing the deal isn't enough. The luxury brand has become the most exclusive in the industry with a policy where being able to pay for its products isn't sufficient; only those whom the 'maison' chooses to sell to can acquire them. However, this doesn't apply to all their products, but only to three handbag models: Kelly, Constance, and, of course, the most desired of all time, the Birkin.
"The purchasing process has become extraordinarily complicated in recent times," a well-known luxury expert, who prefers to remain anonymous, explains to this newspaper. "Previously, it was possible to visit a boutique in another country and, without having previously purchased from the brand, acquire one of the three most sought-after handbags. Now it operates through a 'wish list'."
This process requires visiting one of their stores to schedule a later appointment where you establish your 'wish' —the exact request for the handbag you desire, with up to three possible colour options.
The period for making the request opens at each Hermès store at specific times of the year. During this period, you are assigned an appointment on a specific day and time to formalise your order. "It seems that now all requests are approved in Paris, and they decide who gets it," the expert explains. "If you are one of the chosen ones, the handbag arrives within six, nine, or twelve months... or it doesn't arrive that year, in which case I think it's better to start the process from scratch again. And if you get one, nothing prevents you from requesting a new appointment another year to ask for another 'wish' with whatever you desire."
This is a strategy by the brand to provide greater exclusivity to its classic handbags, in a completely different line from other luxury brands, such as Chanel, which limits to six handbags per customer per year. This approach increases the demand for a product handcrafted by a single artisan, who spends more than 48 hours sewing a Birkin, the most coveted handbag.
"This has created a serious resale problem: people who buy their handbags only to sell them to third parties at a very high margin," notes the luxury expert.
And indeed, it is a good investment. "Some vintage models increase in price every year, offering a more stable return than the stock market. This is especially true in the case of handbags with unique serial codes, like the Birkin or the Classic Chanel Flap, which contain information about who made them and when," narrates illustrator Megan Hess in her book 'Bags' (Lunwerg).
Hess recounts curiosities about these handbags, which acquired an unexpected cult status thanks to the women with whom they are associated. The Birkin was born thanks to a basket, specifically the one carried by singer and actress Jane Birkin when, in 1984, she boarded a plane in Paris bound for London. Her seatmate was then Hermès president Jean-Louis Dumas.
At one point during the flight, part of the artist's basket contents fell to the floor. While picking up her belongings, she explained to the designer that she couldn't find an ideal handbag for travelling. Dumas offered to solve the problem by creating one tailored to her needs. So much so that Birkin abandoned her famous baskets for the handbag that would bear her name, of which she always carried one until it was completely worn out.
The Kelly model, on the other hand, was originally named Le Sac à Dépêches, but its name changed when Princess Grace Kelly began using it frequently. In fact, Hermès artisans must learn to craft the sophisticated Kelly before making any other handbag from the house.
Publicidad
Publicidad
Te puede interesar
Publicidad
Publicidad
Esta funcionalidad es exclusiva para registrados.
Reporta un error en esta noticia
Comentar es una ventaja exclusiva para registrados
¿Ya eres registrado?
Inicia sesiónNecesitas ser suscriptor para poder votar.