The government of Canada is auctioning off a wildly expensive luxury French purse made from endangered crocodile skin, worth as much as a mid-sized car.
The Birkin bag in the matte Gris Elephant colour was made in Paris in 2011, part of the iconic line from fashion house Hermès. It came into the government’s possession five years ago, when it was seized by court order as part of a forfeiture. It has been kept in secure storage ever since. This particular bag is in nearly pristine condition, as if it had barely been used, with only a minor scratch on the interior lining. It includes a letter from a Hermès executive on Madison Avenue in New York certifying its last known retail value. But it does not include the traditional accompaniments, such as a Hermès box, ribbon, or rain protector.
The astonishing prices reflect not only the popularity of the Birkin design among high-rollers who buy real ones for tens of thousands of dollars, but also the aspirational quality that has seen the Birkin very frequently copied, sometimes leading to legal action. But the crocodile Birkin is not without scandal. Birkin herself asked in 2015 for her name to be removed from the crocodile version after learning how crocodiles were treated in its production, from a video of a Texan crocodile farm by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
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Source: HuffPostCanada - 🏆 61. / 53 Read more »