If you’ve never heard of a Birkin bag or Hermès, then you must be a really poor person. Or you’re too busy to care about such things.
But thanks to Madame Rosmah Mansor and her stash of 284 Birkin bags filled with jewellery, cash, and other valuables, the designer bag has been brought back into the spotlight–by a political upheaval, no less.
But even with her huge collection, she isn’t the only one who has the money and clout to have her own collection of $$$ handbags. These bags can retail for as high as tens of thousands of US dollars, and have a waiting list as long as a royal bridal train.
Take a look at some Asian women who collect Birkin bags like some of us collect debt:
Jamie Chua
Perhaps one of the most famous Singaporeans merely because she is rich, Jamie Chua is said to be the only local woman with the most handbags from the brand. According to reports, Jamie owns 42 total Birkin bags. She took readers on a tour of her collection before, and you can see it here. You have got to marvel at how this former flight attendant was able to amass such a collection.
Jinkee Pacquiao
Boxing legend and Philippine Senator Manny Pacquiao clearly has the clout and the cash to get his wife Jinkee several designer bags, and Birkins are just a part of her large collection that also contains Chanel, Gucci, and other brands.
Lovemarie Ongpauco
Philippine celebrity and also a Senator’s wife, this Filipina sweetheart’s Birkin collection isn’t just extensive–it’s also unique thanks to the fact that she paints them. Yes, that’s right. Aside from hosting, starring in dramas and commercials, she also paints–and to give her bags a unique flair, she paints on all of them. Other celebrities have asked her to paint on their own Birkins.
Rosmah Mansor
Perhaps the most notorious Birkin bag collector right now is the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister who we now know owns 284 bags, including one of the most expensive variants of all time.
Included in the hundreds of orange boxes that were hauled form their apartments could be a pink Birkin that cost up to 233,000 US dollars in a legendary 2015 auction.
At the time the pink Birkin was sold, it was the most coveted handbag with only one of its kind in circulation. Reports surfaced that she could be seen using the bag, and perhaps this item recovery from their apartment may confirm her as the owner.
Diana Safira
Blogger, jetsetter, Muslim fashion icon and mother Diana SAfira or DSaks has one of the most prolific collections in Asia, thanks to her Instagram account. She has a couple of unique models, and can be seen toting the iconic bags around the world. You can check out her Instagram account to see where she’s been with her Birkins.
Ra-Hee Hong
Samsung’s matriarch could be the most effortlessly stylish Asian woman to ever tote an Hermès bag. Always impeccably styled but never ostentatious, she is set apart from all the other women who love the brand because she wears everything so classily.
Her outfits always complement her bag, and she never just slaps the accessory on just to upscale a tank top and shorts. While us plebeians can only hope to achieve what she and her husband have, we can at least appreciate how she puts some of the other Birkin owners to shame, making even the richest women in the world look like they’re trying too hard.
Keep in mind that while the Birkin is one of the most expensive hand bags in the world, these women have other brands in their closet.
While plebeians and people who hate rich people may scoff, these are actually a good investment, since buying one in the store can give you a 14% growth per year on the price of pristine Birkins.
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