A guide to the top luxury handbag brands

Handbags are no longer just a fashion statement; they are wearable works of art. Coveted for craftsmanship, rarity and provenance, the luxury handbag has evolved from a practical accessory to a collector’s item. Read on for an insider’s look at the handbags that continue to define modern luxury.

Hermès

Hermès has long set the gold standard in luxury. What began as a saddlery and harness workshop soon grew into a global standard-bearer with a fastidious devotion to quality and craft. While certain styles such as the Constance and Picotin are highly prized, no handbags are as collectible as the brand’s Birkin and Kelly designs.

Named for the film and style maven Jane Birkin, the Birkin bag was the product of a chance encounter between her and CEO Jean-Louis Dumas in the 1980s. The bag is loosely structured and spacious, with two handles and a distinctive fold-over flap. Since its inception, the Birkin has grown into a cultural touchstone, favoured by celebrities the world over and offered in different sizes, colours, materials and hardware. There are limited-edition Birkins and custom-made versions that sport the highly coveted horseshoe stamp. Each bag takes a single artisan up to 40 hours to complete, as the saddle stitch used on the material cannot be replicated by a machine. If done correctly, the stitch will never unravel.

The Kelly bag is another style named for an icon. In 1956, the newly pregnant Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, was carrying her beloved Hermès bag, then known as the Sac à Dépêches, to shield her baby bump. The bag continued to be closely associated with the princess, and the fashion house renamed it in her honour in 1977. The design is more structured than the Birkin, with a trapezoidal silhouette and single top handle.

For buyers, the most esteemed variant of these two bags is the Himalaya. These wearable works of art are crafted from Nile crocodile hide and named for the snowcapped Himalayas, which is reflected in the gradation of colour from smoky grey to pearly white.

The Himalaya Kelly has become known as ‘The Rarest Handbag in the World’ and, in 2023, it was the most expensive bag to come to auction when a Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Kelly 28 sold at Christie’s for $515,416. Christie’s also holds the record for a production Birkin after a Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Birkin 30 sold for $379,261 at a Hong Kong auction.

Chanel

When Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel founded her eponymous brand in 1910, she transformed the way women got dressed. A signature element of Chanel’s fashion revolution was the Chanel Flap Bag.

As the first luxury shoulder bag for women, the Chanel Flap Bag has stood the test of time. It was designed in 1955 out of necessity after Coco Chanel became tired of carrying her purse in her hands at social functions. She added a chain to a quilted clutch and an icon was born. The bag has scarcely changed since the 1950s, save for an addition by then-creative director Karl Lagerfeld in 1983. He added the ‘CC’ closure, now a defining element of the design.

Across decades, Chanel has released various iterations of the classic — known as the 2.55 — such as the Classic Double Flap, the Mini Flap and the Chanel 19. Each bag is handcrafted at the label’s Metiers d’Art workshops in Paris, and some take over 15 hours to complete.

While the Flap Bag is a token of grace and sophistication, Chanel also knows how to have fun. Their collections are a mix of timeless favourites and avant-garde confections. Karl Lagerfeld, who served as creative director from 1983 until his death in 2019, often created playful designs more akin to sculpture than fashion. His minaudières are highly collectible, limited edition evening bags that became a brand staple.

Everything was inspiration to Lagerfeld, and his minaudières were remarkably diverse. Lagerfeld designed bags that looked like perfume bottles, bird cages, tiny gondolas, robots and even a casino slot machine. Each purse was tied into the theme of that season’s runway show and issued in extremely small numbers. They are only made available to top clients at Chanel boutiques and are therefore the ultimate collector’s item, making them extremely desirable at auction. In 2025, Christie’s set a new world record for a Chanel handbag when a Shopping Basket Bag designed by Lagerfeld sold for $152,400.

Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton’s reputation was built long before the modern handbag existed. Founded in 1854 as a trunk maker, the French maison revolutionised travel with its lightweight, flat-topped trunks designed for rail and ocean voyages. In 1896, Georges Vuitton, the founder’s son, introduced the interlocking LV Monogram canvas to distinguish the house’s luggage from imitators. It revolutionised the concept of branding and remains a signature motif more than a century later. Today, antique Louis Vuitton trunks are among the brand’s most desirable collectibles, particularly rare examples featuring bespoke interiors, custom monograms or historic provenance.

Among their contemporary handbag designs, the Capucines represents the brand’s pinnacle of leather craftsmanship. Introduced in 2013 and named after the Rue Neuve-des-Capucines in Paris, where Louis Vuitton opened his first boutique, the bag is distinguished by its refined structure, understated silhouette and discreet hardware. The prized design is frequently released in limited-edition colours and finishes and is also produced in a range of sizes.

Alongside its timeless classics, Louis Vuitton has become renowned for creative collaborations that blur the boundaries between fashion, art and popular culture. Artists like Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons have been tapped to transform the LV Monogram into limited editions. Many of these artist-designed handbags remain some of the house’s most sought after pieces at auction. More recently, creative forces such as Virgil Abloh have brought fresh perspectives to the brand, introducing playful reimaginings of classic silhouettes that have also become collector’s items.

Gucci

Gucci is another brand with coveted classics. Founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci, the Italian fashion house began as a maker of fine leather goods before emerging as a household name. Across decades, Gucci has continued to create handbags that balance heritage with contemporary stylings, and has introduced several signature motifs, including the bamboo handle, horsebit hardware and interlocking GG Monogram.

Among the brand’s most enduring designs is the Jackie, a bag that has transcended trends for decades. First unveiled in 1961 as the G1244, it later became synonymous with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who was frequently photographed carrying one in the 1970s, after which Gucci renamed the style in her honour. Defined by its curved silhouette and distinctive piston clasp, the Jackie has been reimagined in countless colours, materials and sizes while remaining true to the original design. It remains one of Gucci’s most recognisable and versatile handbags, equally at home in vintage collections and modern wardrobes.

Alongside the Jackie, Gucci has produced a series of highly collectible handbags that reflect the brand’s ever-evolving identity. Designs such as the Bamboo, first created in 1947 and sporting the distinctive curved bamboo handle, and the Horsebit 1955 have become classics. Limited edition runs, artist collaborations or those made of exotic materials are particularly prized by collectors, while vintage Gucci bags from the Tom Ford era have become increasingly in demand at auction.

Dior

Founded by Christian Dior in 1946, the Parisian atelier quickly became synonymous with feminine elegance and artful couture. Dior famously declared that he wanted his dresses ‘to be constructed like buildings,’ a philosophy reflected in the architectural precision that defines many of the house’s designs. This vision is perhaps most clearly embodied in the structured silhouette of the Lady Dior bag

In 1995, the Lady Dior — then known as the Chouchou — was presented as a gift to Princess Diana from France’s First Lady, Bernadette Chirac. The Princess of Wales made the bag a signature accessory and was photographed with it on numerous occasions. Because of this strong association, Dior renamed it the Lady Dior as a tribute. The bag’s defined shape, quilted stitching and ‘D.I.O.R’ letter charms make it instantly recognisable, and it’s become one of the house’s defining creations. Today, the bag is produced in a range of sizes as well as an array of leathers, exotic skins and limited-edition runs.

Dior’s other classic handbag reveals the brand’s edgier side. Introduced by then-creative director John Galliano in 1999, the Saddle Bag broke the mould of the formal luxury purse and helped to kick off the early 2000s ‘It Bag’ era. Now a modern classic, the distinctive kidney-shaped design was inspired by an equestrian saddle and has been relaunched several times over the years.

For collectors, limited-edition runs of each of these bags are among the most desirable Dior pieces. Runway-exclusive designs and exotic or intricate embellishments often command strong prices while vintage Saddle Bags, particularly those from the Galliano days, have enjoyed renewed popularity.

Fendi

Fendi began as a leather goods and fur atelier and is now one of Italy’s most celebrated heritage brands. Today, the luxury house continues to produce some of the world’s most iconic handbags, with the Fendi Baguette standing as its most enduring creation.

When Fendi introduced the Baguette in 1997, it sparked the Y2K bag craze. Designed by creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi, the compact shoulder bag recast a practical accessory into a statement piece. Named for the French bread, the Baguette is worn tucked under the arm, with a short shoulder strap and signature FF clasp.

Since its debut, Fendi has produced thousands of interpretations of the bag, using leather and canvas, sequins, beads, feathers, intricate applique and more. The Baguette is now a distinguished wardrobe staple with vintage or limited-edition styles among the most sought-after at auction.