????6月初,，香港佳士得拍賣(mài)會(huì)上一只手袋拍得22.3萬(wàn)美元,，創(chuàng)下了手袋拍賣(mài)的最高記錄。這是一款粉紅色的鱷魚(yú)皮愛(ài)馬仕鉑金包,，附有黃金和鉆石配件,。數(shù)數(shù)各種轉(zhuǎn)售價(jià)值最高的品牌排行榜,，名列榜首的總是鉑金包。

????一個(gè)全新鉑金包的市價(jià)從1.2萬(wàn)美元到20多萬(wàn)美元不等,，二手市場(chǎng)的價(jià)格往往還超過(guò)新包,。去年有一款鑲寶石的鉑金包拍賣(mài)價(jià)達(dá)到18.5萬(wàn)美元，由“高度白化”的鱷魚(yú)皮制成,。在全球最大網(wǎng)上拍賣(mài)平臺(tái)eBay上,，上百只最高檔的鉑金包目前標(biāo)價(jià)略低于15萬(wàn)美元，“一口價(jià)”中最低的在5000美元左右,。一些鐵桿買(mǎi)家正拼命想買(mǎi)個(gè)鉑金包,，但只能先在定制名單上排隊(duì)，視不同材質(zhì),，需要等候的時(shí)間也不一樣,，最長(zhǎng)的要等六年。

????對(duì)那些壓根不想買(mǎi),，或這輩子也花不起五六位數(shù)的價(jià)格買(mǎi)個(gè)包的人來(lái)說(shuō),，最大的疑問(wèn)可能是：干嘛要買(mǎi)這玩意？這可能有點(diǎn)吃不著葡萄說(shuō)葡萄酸,。

????時(shí)尚奢侈品能賣(mài)出天價(jià)的原因三言?xún)烧Z(yǔ)無(wú)法說(shuō)清,，讓我們先來(lái)看看哪些因素在支撐愛(ài)馬仕鉑金包的身價(jià)吧。

????愛(ài)馬仕的歷史可以追溯到1837年,。這家公司以制造馬車(chē)使用的挽具和馬轡起家,，還曾獲榮譽(yù)獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)，很快又轉(zhuǎn)而生產(chǎn)馬鞍,。上世紀(jì)50年代,，愛(ài)馬仕推出了手提包、珠寶首飾與絲質(zhì)圍巾,，雖然現(xiàn)在旗下增加了箱包,、成衣、鞋類(lèi),、香水,、文具、餐具等產(chǎn)品,。但愛(ài)馬仕一直保持著鞍具時(shí)代的風(fēng)格,，鉑金包的高檔皮革制造工藝正是對(duì)歷史風(fēng)格的傳承。

????上世紀(jì)80年代初,，英國(guó)著名歌手,、女演員簡(jiǎn)?鉑金在飛機(jī)上偶遇愛(ài)馬仕時(shí)任董事長(zhǎng)讓?路易斯?杜馬,，兩人碰巧鄰座,。這段邂逅眾說(shuō)紛紜,，但都提到，鉑金提到想要一種更好的手提包,，從而啟發(fā)了杜馬,，讓后世女性夢(mèng)寐以求的鉑金包就此誕生。

????鉑金包終身保修,。由于質(zhì)量上乘,，還可能成為真正的傳家寶。奢侈品網(wǎng)站JustLuxe.com的時(shí)尚編輯梅麗莎?斯特姆皮說(shuō)：“它能賣(mài)高價(jià)不僅僅是因?yàn)閻?ài)馬仕這個(gè)品牌,。鉑金包本身制作特別精良,。每只包都由訓(xùn)練有素的工匠手工制作，耗時(shí)均超過(guò)18個(gè)小時(shí),。如果要制作加鉆石等配件的珍品,，工時(shí)還要翻倍?！?/p>

????斯特姆皮舉例解釋說(shuō),，鉑金包系列中最受歡迎，也最珍貴的皮革是鱷魚(yú)皮,。她說(shuō)：“（鱷魚(yú)）需要多年生長(zhǎng)才能成熟,，養(yǎng)殖過(guò)程中需要精心照顧，以保證皮革不會(huì)出現(xiàn)瑕疵,。要讓鱷魚(yú)皮遠(yuǎn)銷(xiāo)國(guó)內(nèi)外,，養(yǎng)殖者還必須遵守嚴(yán)格的道德標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。即便符合所有條件,，奢侈品牌一般也只要皮革中質(zhì)量最好,、也最貴的部分?！?/p>

????原材料的稀缺讓這種熱銷(xiāo)的手提包成為身份地位的象征,。“由于制作流程緩慢,，要獲得具有一流紋路的皮革十分困難,，因此每年生產(chǎn)的鉑金包數(shù)量有限，稀缺導(dǎo)致價(jià)格水漲船高,，尤其是在二手市場(chǎng)上,。罕見(jiàn)顏色、貴金屬材質(zhì)的配件或者個(gè)性設(shè)計(jì)都會(huì)進(jìn)一步催高鉑金包的價(jià)格,?！彼固啬菲ふf(shuō)。

????事實(shí)上,，并非所有的鉑金包都有轉(zhuǎn)手炒作的價(jià)值,。只有當(dāng)皮革,、顏色和鑲嵌鉆石的黃金配件都不常見(jiàn)，鉑金包轉(zhuǎn)手時(shí)才容易賣(mài)出高價(jià),。比如在eBay上售價(jià)最高的一款喜馬拉雅鉑金包叫價(jià)9.99萬(wàn)美元,，材質(zhì)為“高度白化”的尼羅河鱷魚(yú)皮。eBay上價(jià)位最高的十大手提包之中,，有八只都是鱷魚(yú)皮材質(zhì),，另兩只由鴕鳥(niǎo)皮制成。

????愛(ài)馬仕人氣最高的兩款包——鉑金包和凱莉包甚至沒(méi)有在該公司的官網(wǎng)上出售,。真正的買(mǎi)家不會(huì)選擇網(wǎng)購(gòu),。即使門(mén)店可能有少量現(xiàn)貨供應(yīng)，他們也不會(huì)貿(mào)然鉆進(jìn)愛(ài)馬仕專(zhuān)賣(mài)店買(mǎi)鉑金包,。要想買(mǎi)到鉑金包,，必須顯示自己與品牌已有淵源，還要充分表現(xiàn)忠誠(chéng)度,。要是你不差錢(qián)到雙倍價(jià)格買(mǎi)個(gè)包也無(wú)所謂,，那就叫讓人找個(gè)現(xiàn)貨包隨便買(mǎi)吧。（財(cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

????譯者：Pessy

????審校：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.