The "It" Bag Always in Hand
After the yacht, the Porsche, a river of diamonds, a work of art, an island or a Louis XV chair or two, the latest craze in luxury rentals has arrived in Europe: no less than... the hand-bag! It's a lucrative concept imported from the States, which once again shifts the notion of ownership. ....
There's business in those bags!
There was no doubt that the rental of luxury handbags would make it across the Atlantic. Leather goods continue to be the most profitable sector of the luxury market, showing a constant increase in growth and winning over a clientele that includes wider social spheres than ever, with the number of must-have models coming out each year increasing. Just a few years ago, after months of saving up, one would purchase a special bag to last a lifetime. Now however there are those who regularly invest the entirety of their pay check in the latest Paddington by Chloe or the Muse by Saint Laurent. The less fortunate will sometimes wait up to two years to slip a Birkin or a Kelly by Hermès onto their exultant shoulder. It was therefore necessary to feed this boundless thirst for the new by the fashionistas by offering them the opportunity to follow Kate Moss or Cameron Diaz in their latest acquisitions without bringing ruin upon them. This is therefore how it came to be.
I carry ; therefore I am
Sacdeluxe.fr, bagborrowsteal.com and bagstoriches.com are three sites which have recently received much publicity. Their objective: to permit those who have only dreamed of stepping out with the latest “it” bag of the moment by fulfilling their dream for a few days or a few weeks. From 14 to 80 € (£10 - £56) for the week, to as much as 250 € (£175) for the month, one can now have the luxury of putting away one's iPod in a Vuitton Speedy, or if one prefers into an indispensable and oh-so-rare Cabas de Chanel, coordinated beautifully with some cute vinyl ballerina pumps. This is a smart way to fight the war of counterfeiting whilst still satisfying the all-consuming bag mania of women. After all, did not our dear Dr. Freud say that the handbag was the ultimate masturbatory object, the primary expression of feminine desire? Well, there's a thought to ponder...!
Octobre 2007
