The term “investment buy” gets bandied around a lot in fashion speak. Sure, classic camel coats and well-made shoes will see you through many years, but they’re only an investment in terms of how often you’ll wear them. It’s unlikely you’ll make any more reselling a pair of worn-out shoes.
This is why you really can put “bag” and “investment” in the same phrase. Some brands (we’re looking at you, Hermès) will even increase in value as they patiently sit in a dust bag at the back of your wardrobe because of the waiting lists for new styles owing to the time and craft needed to bring a single, say, Birkin to life. Other styles just never date—like Chanel’s 2.55.
According to top resale site Open for Vintage, more and more high-end designers are looking to the archives to inspire new-season designs and in turn sparking a new wave of consumers to head online to find pre-loved styles. “Vintage versions of the season’s It trends become the purse-friendly option with a much lesser environmental impact,” the site reports. “Last year, Open for Vintage saw this directly reflected in handbag sales, which made up for two-thirds of our total sales.”
Taking good care of your bag is necessary—both when in use and not—to guarantee interest if you’re looking to trade it in. So before you splash out on a new-season bit of arm candy, check out the scoop from Open for Vintage below as to which bags make the best investments right now.
“Louis Vuitton made up a whopping 35% of our total sales in 2020, with Louis Vuitton handbags selling best for us for a third year in a row. As the iconic LV monogram continues to dominate the brand’s best-selling bags and with the increasingly limited availability for classic shapes (The Pochette is a great example!), people use vintage as a way of quick access to these most-wanted styles.” It’s also worth considering that Lyst, the global shopping platform, revealed recently that Louis Vuitton was the fourth hottest brand of the first half of the year, which makes us think these bags are only going to increase in value.
“As prices continue to increase significantly year on year at Chanel, vintage is fast becoming the chosen way to access the iconic fashion house’s designs at more reasonable prices. Additionally, more and more people are becoming savvy to the smart financial investment that a Chanel bag can be, with the resale market being a great way to make a profit if you ever choose to sell on.”
“The return of Dior’s 1969 oblique design came back in a big way in the brand’s 2020 collections, and in turn, we saw sales for our vintage oblique designs spike significantly.”
“Gucci’s increased injection of its ‘retro’ Horsebit detail in its collections meant that we saw our vintage collection become more in demand again, with the Gucci Jackie comeback particularly fuelling this. Our options tick all the boxes for those wanting to tap into this trend but are much more affordable and sustainable to buy.”
According to Vestiaire Collective, the Prada Nylon bag has seen sales increased by 150% YoY, with the style being re-released by the brand in a variety of vibrant shades.
The iconic Hermès Birkin 25 has seen an increase in sales of 185% compared to last year, according to Vestiaire Collective. Get the look for less by buying secondhand.
