Mrs Florence Low, 49, is an avid handbag collector who has also turned her passion into a business.
Her business, LuxLexicon, is a luxury reseller of designer handbags like the Hermes Birkin.
She has more than 100 handbags in her collection, with a combined worth of more than $2 million. They are stored at LuxLexicon, which has just expanded to a 2,700 sq ft showroom at Palais Renaissance.
Mrs Low gives a quick tour of her colourful collection, which concentrates on Hermes and Chanel bags.
A luxury handbag can be a good look at parties, weddings and functions. But they carry more than just a mobile phone and wallet.
These bags can hold great value, according to Mrs Low who turned her luxury handbag passion into a business, with a focus on Hermes and Chanel handbags.
(Read also “Chanel Raises Prices Of Its Classic Bags To Bolster Exclusivity“)
She has been collecting handbags since 2009, but only expanded her investment in them in 2016, when she founded LuxLexicon. She is married with two teenage children aged 13 and 14.
That was when I realised luxury handbags make a great alternative asset class. The return on investment is healthy. Plus, they are sexier than bonds and require less maintenance than properties!
Her handbags have fetched an average of 20 per cent returns annually for the past five years, with last year being a remarkable year for such investors.
(Here is “How To Invest In The Right Designer Bags That Will Increase In Value“)
“Revenge spending post-lockdowns everywhere saw a strong demand for luxury bags, and luxury retail weathered the pandemic much better than other businesses, so it was no surprise I had my best year last year,” she shared.
“In hindsight, I should have held on to those bags as prices continue to climb on the back of a strong demand, lower production as brand owners experienced disrupted production as a result of lockdowns, and the world’s insatiable thirst for luxury goods.”
Here are her top picks, which are all bags from top-tier luxury brand Hermes. Hermes bags are made in limited quantities, which make them great value for a collector, she said.