Author: Lu Baoyi
On June 12, Christie's auctioned a Hermes platinum bag in London, blue and crocodile leather. The buyer, who wanted to be named, sold it for £125,000, equivalent to about RMB 1.08 million.
This platinum bag is set with platinum and 18 carat diamonds, it is by far the most expensive handbag sold in Europe, just in Europe.
Foreign media reported that many wealthy Asian buyers appeared at the auction site in Mayfair, London that day, hoping to have the opportunity to win their favorite lots. Christie's has several Hermes bags waiting for auction this time.
However, this one in London is not expensive, far from the one in Hong Kong.
A few weeks ago, at the Christie's spring auction in Hong Kong, a 30-centimeter white Himalayan crocodile leather platinum diamond accessories Hermes platinum bag was sold at a high price of HK$2.94 million (about RMB 2.6 million).
This is the most expensive bag ever.
Liu Tao was once photographed holding the same platinum bag, hers was golden. This is "the most expensive handbag in the world", and it is rising faster than the housing prices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Two months ago, at the Poly Hong Kong handbag auction, the same bag was sold for HK$2.89 million (about RMB 2.54 million); a year ago, it was also Christie's spring auction, and this bag was still the one that sold the world record of HK$2.32 million (about RMB 2.01 million).
continues to appreciate and constantly break its own auction record. What kind of package is this?
The classic American drama "Sex and the City" says: "It's not a bag, it's a Birkin!" Hermes has two bags that are frequent customers of auction houses, one is Kelly and the other is Birkin. The story of the
platinum bag has long been known to everyone. It was launched in 1986. The design originated from a trip encounter between Jean Louis Dumas, the fifth president of the brand, and French actress Jane Birkin. Jane Birkin proposed a suggestion for the Kelly bag, so the larger and more casual platinum bag was designed.
Since the 1980s, platinum bags have been too popular, and craftsmen have limited production capacity. Hermes has adopted a global ordering system. On average, it takes two years to order one, and now it is longer. The entry-level model of
basically starts at 60,000 yuan, and if it is a special material, it is easy to easily reach 300,000 yuan. This is where platinum bags are really expensive. Hermes once mentioned in brand documentaries that the materials that must be controlled in the field of handicrafts. For example, Hermes' favorite crocodile leather is not only expensive, but also low in output, but also difficult to deal with.
It is reported that Hermes specializes in raising crocodiles in Australia. In order to avoid cortical damage caused by intense fighting, they were specially raised separately, and then carefully selected the best ones.
It is reported that the world's most expensive platinum bag sold in Hong Kong was made in 2014, with the leather colored in gradients, just like the Himalayas on the top covered by snow, so it is named after the "Himalaya".
Because the process of coloring crocodile skin is extremely complicated and time-consuming, Hermes only releases one or two Himalayan platinum bags a year worldwide.
In addition to Liu Tao, many female celebrities and celebrities have been photographed carrying this bag, such as Beckham, Zhao Wei, Li Xiaolu, Peici Wu, , and the wife of Hong Kong rich man Liu Luanxiong . Now the richest woman in Hong Kong Gambi .
Their bags have different colors, some of which do not have diamonds. In any case, this bag has become an extremely noble symbol of identity. It is extremely expensive and extremely rare, and it has been hyped to sky-high prices on , the second-hand market of .
. Since this year, the platinum bag has been officially discontinued, which is the main reason for stimulating the sharp rise in auction prices. Although
handbags are a hot spot in auctions in recent years, the ones that are sold at high prices and attract more people, and the most collection value are platinum bags. Compared with the appreciation of platinum bags with the rise in housing prices, it has become an old joke.
Last year, online retailer baghunter made a data report on platinum bags. Over the past 35 years, Birkin's value has increased by 500%, and is predicted to double in the next decade.
"Because platinum bags are considered high-end luxury goods and are enjoyed by the top 1% of the wealthy, they will not be affected by the recession," explained Evelyn Fox, founder of Baghunter.
If the platinum bag is an investment project, it may be difficult to find a higher return rate.
Hermes' first quarter financial report for 2017 was very beautiful, with a significant increase in double-digit numbers. Hermes has always controlled the production of leather goods, and the rules of hunger marketing have been studied by various brands.
. What is also amazing is the performance of Hermes platinum bags in auction houses. Although Chanel handbags have been auctioned, Hermes has repeatedly made headlines.
The Christie's auction house, which recently auctioned Hermes continuously, started auctioning fashion items in the 1990s, and began to include contemporary handbags in the category of collection and bidding items since 2000.
As the Asian consumer market continues to expand, more and more rich people are. Christie's clearly feels that whether it is an investment or a consumption, the auction of handbags is always very popular.
In 2014, Christie's opened handbags and accessories departments in Hong Kong and Paris. At first, handbags were just a small highlight of real estate auctions. Later, handbags and accessories auctions were held twice a year in Hong Kong.
On the one hand, the auction house is constantly searching for various high-quality bags to evaluate their quality levels, and on the other hand, it is also constantly exploring and attracting more customers. For example, in recent years, it is Asian rich people who are rapidly driving demand.
The platinum that hit a new high was bought by mysterious customers, and everyone speculated that the first person was Ganbi, the wife of Hong Kong rich man Liu Luanxiong. He never left his hand when he was photographed with different Hermes handbags, but it was not confirmed.
In 2016, Prive Porter also sold a platinum bag of up to 290,000 US dollars. Before the auction, a platinum bag party was specially held at the Fort Lauderdale International Yacht Show, inviting super VIP customers from various celebrities and brands to participate and observe different platinum bags up close.
auction house contributed its strength and helped its brand, and VIPs also showed great enthusiasm. The function of the platinum bag is far more than a bag that holds things, it also represents identity and the community where the bag holder is located.
If you have a platinum bag, you are crowded into the top 1% of the world.
. For some professional collectors, it is naturally impossible to miss collectibles with such appreciation potential.
Professional platinum bag collector Emily Chan once said in an interview: "Platinum bags are like currency, you can cash them out at any time."
After all, ordering is so difficult, and the second-hand market is so hot, you don't want it at any time, and someone will rush to be the owner.
Kris Jenner, a strong woman in the Kardashian family, made a wardrobe for her platinum bag, and asked the artist to add a neon installation, which read "Need Money For Birkin". The auction of
platinum bags looks like a matter between an auction house and a wealthy buyer. So, what does it have to do with the Hermes brand and company?
During the auction of luxury watches, some work is to require brand help, especially antique watches, and watch brands usually actively provide support. The high price of watches is something that brands are happy to see.
auction has two meanings for the brand. First, it boosts the brand's reputation, high auction prices and becomes a hot topic. It is an excellent marketing for the brand, indicating that the product has lasted for a long time and can maintain value and increase value.
Secondly, it is also an encouragement to the brand's other product lines. Hermes' platinum bag is so precious, and Hermes' silk scarf must be good too.
There are only a few brands in the world who are regular customers of auction houses, and they play a big game of chess.
