The most expensive handbags ever made

Multimillion-dollar bags from Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Mouawad, and more are some of the most expensive in history

October 10 is National Handbag Day – a holiday, of sorts, celebrating an accessory that can be simultaneously utilitarian and extravagant. Today is for purses, pocketbooks, totes, satchels, and all receptacles for transporting your possessions.

In an era when many traditional luxury brands are falling out of style, the market for handbags seems to be as strong as ever. Hermès’s stock value, for example, has skyrocketed in recent years, in part due to the enduring popularity of its Birkin and Kelly bags, which have found new popularity among younger generations.

Even handbag purveyors experiencing more lackluster sales and waning public interest, still maintain that the market is strong. Last month, designer Michael Kors cited the popularity of social media and celebrity influence as powerful forces in the handbag industry, while testifying after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block a planned $8.5 billion acquisition of his company.

The fashion industry “has become much more elastic,” Kors testified, when asked who he views as his brand’s competition. “[There is] everything from Lululemon, Zara, Louis Vuitton to resale.”

He also cited the emergence of new brands as a sign that the market will continue to be competitive if the merger goes through. Kors added that he only learned about Aupen, a trendy handbag brand embraced by celebrities including Kylie Jenner and Olivia Rodrigo, when he saw a photograph of Taylor Swift carrying the company’s bags.

“When I looked at the brand, the website crashed immediately,” he said. “

It shows you the power of women like this.”

Louis Vuitton’s Millionaire Speedy

Hermès’s Ginza Tanaka Birkin

Hermès’s Sac Bijou Birkin

Price: $2 million

Another eye-wateringly expensive Hermès creation was one crafted by its head of jewelry, Pierre Hardy. The tiny Sac Bijou Birkin is made of a rose gold netting inlaid with 2,712 diamonds. It was made to be worn as a bracelet, though it is functional, in that it open and closes, and presumably holds very small things. Sotheby’s says that only three were ever made.

Mouawad’s 1001 Nights Diamond Purse

Price: $3.6 million

The Guinness World Record for most expensive bag offered to the public is the Mouawad “1001 Nights” diamond purse, which the jewelry company behind it says contains 18-karat gold and incorporates 4,517 diamonds: 105 yellows, 56 pinks, and 4,356 colorless with a combined weight of 381.92 carats — a sixth of a pound.