“Might as Well”: Is it Better to Just Buy a Birkin?

Hermès enthusiasts- this one’s for you. Picture this. You’re looking to treat yourself. For a birthday, special occasion… or just because. A few bags have caught your eye from other brands like Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton. At the same time, though, you can’t help thinking about that new Birkin which set your heart aflutter. The feeling you got when your SA escorted you to one of the boutique’s backrooms, the excitement you felt as they slowly opened that glorious orange box, it’s all an electric jolt of exhilaration that pulses through your veins.

Image Credit: @hermeseverywhere

Although you ponder other pretty little things- a cute Classic Flap, maybe a Lady Dior, you can’t help but tell yourself “should I just buy a Birkin? Might as well…” And so to you, our beloved H lovers, we ask you this- do you think it’s better to just buy a Birkin?

In addition to its stellar investment value, the Hermès journey is arguably what sets the brand apart from other luxury houses. The image it has been able to create of a highly elusive and extremely exclusive “members’ only”- like club is what arguably fans the flames of our fascination. Through clever marketing and limited production, Hermès has positioned its handbags, in particular the Birkin, as the crème de la crème of handbags- the top of the pyramid, the Holy Grail. So rare is it to find one (or be ‘offered one,’ as the house calls the honor), that many have compared it to winning the lottery.

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Now imagine this. You. YOU! You’ve been selected! Deemed worthy and special enough to be offered something that only a handful of exist in the world; that everyone wants but few get. It’s a pretty good feeling, isn’t it? To be handpicked, to be chosen. The first time it happens, you’re on Cloud #9… but then you think to up the ante. What about another one? A second, a third, why not even a fourth? Why not try for that super rare color, or how about an even rarer material. You see, when you get lucky once, that little voice in your head starts to tickle your fancy. “Let’s try again, let’s see if we can do it,” it whispers to you. A personal challenge? More like challenge accepted.

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Simply put, the psychological aspect of the Hermès journey is difficult to reproduce elsewhere. Because of how seldom it occurs, when it does happen, that feeling of pleasure and accomplishment is incomparable. Is this why we think to add to our collection instead of looking elsewhere? Is the experience we wish to recreate, and the affirmation of achievement, what we want? Maybe even more than the physical bag itself? Is looking at your Birkin, and the sense of pride and satisfaction it brings up, why we crave adding another?

You see, the symbolism behind the Birkin is powerful. It’s more than just a bag, it’s the physical embodiment of success, of true luxury. It tells the world that you’re not ordinary, you’re Extraordinary. It is this very message which the Birkin sends that sets it apart. Its unattainableness is what makes it the object of our desire. Is it true, then, what they say? We all want what we can’t have?

Image Credit: @iamrenatabarros

Think about it. The last time you looked to buy a new handbag, did H hypnosis take over you? Did you tell yourself “might as well buy a Birkin”? Whether consciously, subconsciously or otherwise, did the points we mentioned above convince you to get a Birkin over other bags you liked? Let us know what you think. It’s a fascinating point of discussion and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Is it better to just buy a Birkin? Might as well…

Image Credit: @fluent.francaise