A Bellevue man recreated a rare Hermès Birkin handbag for only $550, as a gift to his girlfriend on their anniversary.
Alexander Sway told KIRO 7 that his girlfriend, M.J. Kim, would sometimes joke with him about wanting a luxury handbag.
With their anniversary approaching, Sway looked up instructions on YouTube to recreate a handbag.
And it wasn’t just any handbag. The Hermès Birkin handbag is reportedly valued at $110,000.
According to madisonavenuecouture.com, the process to buy a legitimate Hermès handbag requires a buyer to purchase six figures at a Hermès boutique, which will make some bags - that are typically reserved for VIPs - available to purchase. If a buyer refuses a handbag that is offered, it could hamper their ability to buy more handbags.
Sway said it was his first time attempting to make a handbag, so it took him 60 hours of labor over a month.
He said he spent $150 on cowhide and calfskin, which allowed him the comfort of making several mistakes and trying again.
Sway also spent $400 on specialty tools, like hammer and nails for leather.
He worked on the handbag at his parents’ home too, since he didn’t want his girlfriend to ask about the smell of leather in the house.
When Sway finished, he said he blindfolded his girlfriend and surprised her.
He said she was shocked by the amount of effort he put into it. She loves it and appreciates her new handbag, even taking it out to dinner and parties with friends.
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