Handbags as an investment? I too was taken aback. But reality bears repeating given the number of men who collect them. Invest in Hermès: Birkin and Kelly handbags to be precise.

Take for example, the single singer Drake, 33, who for his 5,000-square-meter/50,000-squarefoot newly-built abode in Toronto, Canada, commissioned a museum-like display to house his collection of Hermès Birkin handbags that he has been amassing for almost a decade.

Seemingly, Drake owns the Hermès crocodile-skin Himalaya Birkin – amongst the rarest Hermès handbags – which sells at auction for nearly CHF 400,000.

Of course, Drake pretends that his collection is for the future and as yet unknown, even to him, Mrs Drake. Strictly-limited production and the resulting lengthy waiting lists compel buyers to search the sales of both major as well as smaller auction houses to find the hidden gem.

Thus far, the most expensive Hermès handbags ever auctioned are all crocodile-skin Birkins, like the one pictured. Clearly, demand remains strong despite or because of Covid-19: similar to gold.

ALAN NAZAR IPEKIAN