为什么说一个20多万美元的爱马仕铂金包可能是笔好投资？

    6月初，香港佳士得拍卖会上一只手袋拍得22.3万美元，创下了手袋拍卖的最高记录。这是一款粉红色的鳄鱼皮爱马仕铂金包，附有黄金和钻石配件。数数各种转售价值最高的品牌排行榜，名列榜首的总是铂金包。

    一个全新铂金包的市价从1.2万美元到20多万美元不等，二手市场的价格往往还超过新包。去年有一款镶宝石的铂金包拍卖价达到18.5万美元，由“高度白化”的鳄鱼皮制成。在全球最大网上拍卖平台eBay上，上百只最高档的铂金包目前标价略低于15万美元，“一口价”中最低的在5000美元左右。一些铁杆买家正拼命想买个铂金包，但只能先在定制名单上排队，视不同材质，需要等候的时间也不一样，最长的要等六年。

    对那些压根不想买，或这辈子也花不起五六位数的价格买个包的人来说，最大的疑问可能是：干嘛要买这玩意？这可能有点吃不着葡萄说葡萄酸。

    时尚奢侈品能卖出天价的原因三言两语无法说清，让我们先来看看哪些因素在支撑爱马仕铂金包的身价吧。

    爱马仕的历史可以追溯到1837年。这家公司以制造马车使用的挽具和马辔起家，还曾获荣誉奖项，很快又转而生产马鞍。上世纪50年代，爱马仕推出了手提包、珠宝首饰与丝质围巾，虽然现在旗下增加了箱包、成衣、鞋类、香水、文具、餐具等产品。但爱马仕一直保持着鞍具时代的风格，铂金包的高档皮革制造工艺正是对历史风格的传承。

    上世纪80年代初，英国著名歌手、女演员简•铂金在飞机上偶遇爱马仕时任董事长让•路易斯•杜马，两人碰巧邻座。这段邂逅众说纷纭，但都提到，铂金提到想要一种更好的手提包，从而启发了杜马，让后世女性梦寐以求的铂金包就此诞生。

    铂金包终身保修。由于质量上乘，还可能成为真正的传家宝。奢侈品网站JustLuxe.com的时尚编辑梅丽莎•斯特姆皮说：“它能卖高价不仅仅是因为爱马仕这个品牌。铂金包本身制作特别精良。每只包都由训练有素的工匠手工制作，耗时均超过18个小时。如果要制作加钻石等配件的珍品，工时还要翻倍。”

    斯特姆皮举例解释说，铂金包系列中最受欢迎，也最珍贵的皮革是鳄鱼皮。她说：“（鳄鱼）需要多年生长才能成熟，养殖过程中需要精心照顾，以保证皮革不会出现瑕疵。要让鳄鱼皮远销国内外，养殖者还必须遵守严格的道德标准。即便符合所有条件，奢侈品牌一般也只要皮革中质量最好、也最贵的部分。”

    原材料的稀缺让这种热销的手提包成为身份地位的象征。“由于制作流程缓慢，要获得具有一流纹路的皮革十分困难，因此每年生产的铂金包数量有限，稀缺导致价格水涨船高，尤其是在二手市场上。罕见颜色、贵金属材质的配件或者个性设计都会进一步催高铂金包的价格。”斯特姆皮说。

    事实上，并非所有的铂金包都有转手炒作的价值。只有当皮革、颜色和镶嵌钻石的黄金配件都不常见，铂金包转手时才容易卖出高价。比如在eBay上售价最高的一款喜马拉雅铂金包叫价9.99万美元，材质为“高度白化”的尼罗河鳄鱼皮。eBay上价位最高的十大手提包之中，有八只都是鳄鱼皮材质，另两只由鸵鸟皮制成。

    爱马仕人气最高的两款包——铂金包和凯莉包甚至没有在该公司的官网上出售。真正的买家不会选择网购。即使门店可能有少量现货供应，他们也不会贸然钻进爱马仕专卖店买铂金包。要想买到铂金包，必须显示自己与品牌已有渊源，还要充分表现忠诚度。要是你不差钱到双倍价格买个包也无所谓，那就叫让人找个现货包随便买吧。（财富中文网）

    译者：Pessy

    审校：夏林

    Earlier this month, a single handbag sold at a Christie’sauction in Hong Kong for $223,000, breaking a world record for handbags sold at auction. That record-setting handbag was a pink crocodile-skin Hermès Birkin with gold and diamond hardware. Topping the lists of couture with the highest resale value, it’s always Birkin bags.

    The cost of new Birkins range from $12,000 to more than $200,000, and they regularly sell on the secondary market for more than their original sales price. Last year, an “almost albino” crocodile skin, diamond-encrusted Birkin sold at auction for $185,000. On eBay, the uppermost tier of the hundreds of Birkin bags currently listed are priced at just under $150,000, with the lowest “Buy it Now” prices at around $5,000. Some consumers are dying to get their hands on one–Birkins can have a wait list of up to six years, depending on the materials used.

    For those who are not inclined or remotely able to pay five-six figures for a handbag, the big question is likely, “why?”–possibly accompanied by some salty language.

    So as much as one can explain stratospheric couture prices, let’s look at some of the factors at play with the Hermès Birkin bag.

    In business since 1837, Hermès originally made award-winning harnesses and bridles for horse-drawn carriages, and soon moved into saddlery. The company introduced handbags, jewelry, and silk scarves in the 1950s, and now makes luggage, ready to wear clothing, footwear, fragrance, stationery, tableware and more. But Hermès has maintained that connection to its saddle-making history, and the Birkin bag’s high-grade leather trades on that heritage.

    In the early 1980s, actress-singer Jane Birkin encounteredHermès’ then-chairman Jean-Louis Dumas when they were seated next to each other on a plane. Accounts of the connection vary, but agree that inspired by Birkin’s need for a better handbag that day, the coveted Birkin bag was created.

    The bags are repairable for life, and because of their quality, could likely be passed down as an heirloom. “There’s more that goes into that price than just paying for the Hermès name,” said Marissa N. Stempien, the fashion editor of JustLuxe.com. “The Birkin is an extraordinarily well made bag. Each one is handmade by trained craftsmen and can take over 18 hours to make, and that number can be doubled if working on exceptional pieces such as those accessorized with diamonds.”

    Stempien raises the example of one of the Birkin’s most popular and difficult to source leathers, crocodile skin. “[Crocodiles] require many years to reach maturity, the hide must be untarnished, they must be attended to constantly and the crocodile farms must meet strict ethical standards before they can sell internationally. Even after all this, luxury brands will only take the very best of and priciest of skins.”

    Which brings us to the scarcity of this in-demand status symbol. “Because of the slow manufacturing process and difficult task of procuring the best textiles, only a limited number of Birkins are made each year, adding to the exclusivity that can drive up prices, particularly those in the resale market. Rare colors, hardware in precious metals or personalized touches can also add to the high price tag of the Birkin,” Stempien said.

    In fact, not all Birkins bring in headline-making resale amounts. Less common leathers, colors, and gold hardware garnished with diamonds tend to add to the resale value. The highest-pulling Birkin listed on eBay, for example, which sold for $99,900, is a Himalayan Birkin in Blanc, made of matte “almost albino” Niloticus crocodile leather.Of the top 10 highest-priced sellers on eBay, eight are crocodile leather, and two are ostrich.

    Hermès most famous two bags, the Birkin and the Kelly, are not even listed on the fashion house’s website. But one does not simply buy a Birkin online, or roll into the nearest Hermès retail outpost, although the stores do get a small supply. Connections must be made and brand loyalty displayed before a Birkin is offered. Or, if you have double the retail price to burn, you can hire someone else to source a bag.