How to buy your own Hermès handbag: the best shopping locations, which bags offer the highest ROIs (Kelly and Birkin, of course) and customised ‘special orders’ – a collector’s top tips

Dec 2 , 2021

An Hermès Kelly cut clutch. Photo: Jerrie Lo

Exotic leather is rising in value – a Hermès crocodile skin Kelly 28 bag recently broke auction records when it was sold for US$500,000 at Christie’s

SATC lied to us – the luxury fashion brand doesn’t have a wait-list, and getting selected for a special order, or customised bag, always comes as a surprise

To all the ladies out here, if you’re a connoisseur of luxury accessories, you’ll likely already know that an Hermès bag doesn’t come easy. Much to our disappointment, getting our hands on our dream bag requires much more than simply walking into a store and picking a bag.

A timeless and chic Hermès bag is both a fashion statement and an investment. Over the years, we’ve seen many rare bags from the brand sold for a hefty amount of dollars. One recent example would be the exceptional, matt white himalaya niloticus crocodile diamond retourné Kelly 28 with 18k white gold and diamond hardware that was auctioned off at Christie’s for a whopping US$500,000 – setting the new world record for price achieved for any handbag sold at auction.

Whether it’s for passion or investment, serious luxury shoppers are always looking to secure more Hermès bags on our wish lists. That’s why we sat down with Charlene Ree, tech entrepreneur and Hermès collector, to learn more about her journey with the French luxury maison and to get some tips to take home.

Tech entrepreneur and Hermès collector Charlene Ree shares her Hermès shopping tips and tricks. Photo: Jerrie Lo

How did you begin your Hermès collector journey?

It all started back in 2008. A handbag is a statement piece for a lot of outfits, so the ultimate goal for a lot of people is getting a Hermès bag – including myself. It had been on my dream bag list for a long time.

My start-up company that I established in 2011 became profitable after two years, so I decided it was time to reward myself with a nice handbag. I searched everywhere to find out how to get one, as you know, Hermès bags aren’t as accessible as those from other brands.

I got my very first piece, a Hermès Kelly 32, through my husband’s friend who owns a second-hand store. For Hermès, we know authenticity is very important, that’s why we reached out to someone we trust.

When did you first shop in an Hermès store?

I remember there was an episode about Samantha in Sex and the City where she was trying to get an Hermès bag and was told that there’s a long wait-list. So I walked into a Hong Kong store and asked if I can get on the wait-list, only to be told there is no wait-list.