The Birkin Bag: A Better Investment Than Gold

The Birkin bag is one accessory that practically every woman wants to own - but most can’t afford to. [Photo: Rex]

If there was ever a genuinely acceptable reason to go ahead and splurge on a ridiculously expensive handbag, this is it.

As long as it’s a Birkin bag.

The iconic piece of arm candy, from French fashion house Hermès, has been called a sounder investment than gold – so go ahead and invest, we say.

In the last 35 years, the handbag has increased in value by over 500 per compared to other investments that tend to fluctuate, according to a new study by Baghunter.

Stars such as Kim Kardashian have helped maintain the bag’s popularity throughout the years. [Photo: Rex]

The famous bag, named for actress and It-girl Jane Birkin in 1984, is still a hugely lusted-after item with celebs and fashion followers worldwide clambering to get one.

But with a waiting list of around six years, most keen buyers have to wait a long time to actually own one.

Of course if you’re a globally-recognised celebrity then you may be able to jump straight to the front of the line, so to speak. Victoria Beckham, style maven that she is, reportedly has over 100 different versions of the bag (worth over ￡2 million), so clearly she’s one wise investor. And with only one daughter, we reckon we have a good chance at correctly guessing which lucky four-year-old will one day inherit that coveted collection.

Back in her WAG days, Victoria Beckham was rarely spotted without one of her 100 Birkin bags. [Photo: Rex]

“As a whole, the study findings show how stable the ultra-luxury industry has been over the past 35 years when compared to more traditional investment opportunities,” Evelyn Fox, founder of Baghunter, told Luxurydaily.com.

“In particular, the study displays how high-end, rare and sought-after luxury items such as Hermès Birkin handbags have never dropped in value, even during times of recession and economic difficulty.

“There is a difference between luxury and ultra-luxury,” she continued. “While the luxury market suffers during worse economic times, the ultra-luxury market is impervious to economic factors that can affect other industries such as high-street retail and stock markets.”

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