Sure there are regular Birkin bags, but then there are Himalayan Birkin bags. Known as the rarest and most desired bag in the world, it is no wonder that this specific type of Birkin recently set the record for the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction.
An anonymous buyer recently purchased the coveted matte white Himalaya Niloticus crocodile diamond Birkin 30 for $300,168 at a Christie’s auction in Hong Kong. The unused Birkin was brought to Christie’s by a private collector who had supposedly owned the bag since 2008. Rumor has it that only one or two of these bags are produced by Hermès each year. This beat the record set last year for the same bag, which was sold for $223,000.
“Our previous record-holder was a 35-centimeter fuchsia crocodile Birkin with diamond hardware, which sold for 1.4 million (Hong Kong dollars), without the premium,” ,” Matthew Rubinger, the Hong Kong-based international director of handbags and accessories for Asia told the New York Times. “Custom orders and exotic skins are always popular. Lizard skin is having a moment right now.”
So what exactly makes the Himalayan Birkin so special? They are made from Nilo crocodile hide that’s dyed in an intricate process, to create a white center and gray edges that resemble the snow-capped Himalayas. Not to mention the hardware made from 18-karat white gold and diamonds.
“White is the hardest color to achieve with crocodile skin, as you have to remove all of its natural pigment,” Mr.Rubinger told theNew York Times. “To find a bag in its unused condition is even more rare.”
