Susan Casden: Collecting beauty, preserving memories, an enduring collection to Hong Kong

Some collectors follow trends. Others help define them.

For more than three decades, Susan Casden has built one of the most celebrated private collections of fashion, handbags and haute couture in the world. Long before certain Hermès creations became objects of intense global demand, she was already acquiring them. Long before the market embraced unusual silhouettes, rare materials or runway experiments, she trusted her instincts. Her collection has never been assembled according to formulas, investment strategies or fashion cycles. Instead, it has been guided by a deeply personal philosophy: buy what you love, and buy what speaks to you.

That philosophy has led Casden on an extraordinary collecting journey spanning art, jewellery, fashion and design. It has also earned her a unique place in the world of luxury collecting. Such is her longstanding relationship with Hermès that the house created a handbag bearing her name, a rare distinction reserved for only a handful of clients. Over the years, museums, fashion historians and collectors alike have taken note of her discerning eye and instinctive ability to recognize enduring design before it enters the mainstream.

This autumn, two exceptional handbags from her collection will take centre stage in Christie’s Hong Kong Handbags & Accessories auction. Both are masterpieces from Jean Paul Gaultier’s celebrated era at Hermès. Both are among the most significant handbags ever to emerge from her collection. And perhaps most appropriately, both are being offered in a city that holds a special place in her heart.

Hong Kong, after all, is more than an auction destination for Susan Casden.

It is home.

A collector shaped by Hong Kong

Long before she became known internationally for her fashion and handbag collection, Hong Kong was where Casden built her life.

She lived in the city from 1978 to 1994, years during which she raised her young family, cultivated lifelong friendships and immersed herself in the unique cultural energy that defined Hong Kong during a transformative period in its history.

Many of her most vivid memories remain tied to the city: the dramatic checkerboard approach into Kai Tak Airport, evenings aboard floating sampans in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter, journeys across Victoria Harbour on the Star Ferry, and watching Hong Kong’s skyline evolve into one of the world's most recognisable urban landscapes.

‘Watching my young children grow up in this city and all of the cherished memories that came along with that, are among my most treasured memories of Hong Kong,’ she recalls. ‘I have made lifelong friends here that endure to this day.’

More importantly, Hong Kong helped broaden her horizons.

As an international crossroads where East met West, the city offered constant exposure to art, design, fashion and culture from around the world. Looking back, it was during these years that the foundations of her aesthetic sensibility began to take shape.

‘It has been amazing to witness the magnificent skyline change over the years,’ she says. ‘It was and remains my favourite in the world. I definitely consider Hong Kong to be my second home.’

Today, decades after leaving, the connection remains strong. Her family continues to maintain close ties to the city, and she returns regularly. Offering these two exceptional handbags in Hong Kong therefore feels less like a sale and more like a homecoming.

‘What sets Hong Kong apart is its unique and historic position as a bridge between the East and the West,’ she says. ‘Today it is a global destination for collectors from every part of the world.’

Following instinct, not trends

Although Casden is widely recognised for her Hermès collection, handbags represent only one expression of a broader passion for art and design. ‘I think it all begins with having an eye for art and design,’ she explains. ‘The fashion, handbags and jewellery naturally flow into that.’

That approach helps explain why some of her most celebrated acquisitions arrived years before the wider market appreciated their significance.

Collectors frequently ask how she developed an ability to identify pieces that would eventually become highly sought after. Her answer remains refreshingly uncomplicated. ‘It's more of a feeling I get when I see something,’ she says. ‘I will know immediately if this is for me or if it's not for me.’

Rather than focusing on what is popular, she focuses on what resonates. Time and again, that instinct has proven remarkably prescient.

Jean Paul Gaultier and a defining moment

Few designers have played a more important role in Casden's collecting journey than Jean Paul Gaultier. When Gaultier unveiled his first collection as artistic director of Hermès in Autumn/Winter 2004, Casden was there.

‘I was always a huge fan of Jean Paul Gaultier,’ she says.

Among the designs presented on the runway was an unusual Kelly bag crafted from hornback crocodile leather. Unlike traditional examples, the bag celebrated the reptile's natural spinal scales, creating a dramatic sculptural effect. The moment she saw it, she knew she had to have it.

The Hornback Kelly: one of only two

Leading Hong Kong Handbags sale is the extraordinary Hornback Crocodile Kelly 32, one of only two examples believed to have been produced worldwide, it is also the sole example ever to appear at auction.

Following the 2004 runway presentation, Casden approached Hermès about creating one for her personally. While technically possible, the undertaking proved extraordinarily challenging.

‘I was told that while it was doable, it was incredibly labour-intensive and challenging to create,’ she recalls.

At the time, one of Hermès’ master leather artisans demonstrated the technical difficulties involved. The raised hornback scales are exceptionally hard and difficult to stitch, requiring an extraordinary amount of expertise and patience.

‘The bag was so difficult to make that it was never truly put into production.’

Today, the Hornback Kelly stands as one of the most elusive and ambitious creations associated with the Gaultier era at Hermès, combining technical virtuosity with unmistakable visual presence.

The Shoulder Birkin ahead of its time

Equally compelling is the Leopard Print Pony Hair Shoulder Birkin 42. In 2006, Hermès presented Casden with three exotic stamped leather options: leopard, zebra and ocelot.

She immediately envisioned something different. ‘I chose the leopard to make the Shoulder Birkin, the zebra to make a 35 Birkin, and the ocelot to make a Kelly Pochette,’ she explains.

The result was a remarkable interpretation of the Shoulder Birkin, combining the relaxed silhouette introduced by Gaultier with the bold character of leopard-patterned ponyhair. It is likely this leopard Shoulder Birkin is truly one-of-a-kind.

The bag also highlights another defining characteristic of Casden's collecting philosophy. At a time when most collectors focused almost exclusively on the classic Birkin, she gravitated toward an alternative silhouette that felt fresh, distinctive and original. Years later, the Shoulder Birkin has re-emerged as one of the most coveted forms in contemporary fashion.

A lifelong relationship with craftsmanship

What connects every object in Casden's collection is an unwavering respect for craftsmanship.

‘Craftsmanship is everything,’ she says. ‘You can have the best materials but without the expertise, you cannot bring the inspiration to life.’

It is an idea that extends beyond handbags. Over the years, she has built a collection of couture and fashion objects so significant that pieces have attracted interest from some of the world's leading institutions. Yet regardless of category or value, her focus has remained consistent: exceptional artistry, enduring design and the stories objects carry with them.

According to Winsy Tsang, Head of Handbags & Accessories, Christie’s Asia Pacific, those qualities are evident throughout Casden's collection: ‘Susan possesses the rare ability to recognise exceptional design long before the wider market catches up,’ says Tsang. ‘These two handbags are extraordinary not only because of their rarity, but because they reflect decades of thoughtful collecting. They embody the qualities that define the finest collections: vision, conviction, craftsmanship and impeccable provenance.’

Passing the torch

After more than twenty years with these remarkable creations, Casden believes the moment has come for them to begin a new chapter.

‘Lately there has been a resurgence of popularity for Jean Paul Gaultier,’ she says. ‘I have admired these two bags for over 20 years and now it is time for someone else to enjoy them.’

The sentiment reflects her broader view of collecting itself. Collections are never static. They evolve, grow and, eventually, find new custodians.

If she has one piece of advice for the next generation, it is simple: collect what you love, buy items that reflect your own unique style, rather than chasing trends. ‘Beauty is subjective, collecting is a personal endeavour, and each person's style is their own,’ she says.

Then she offers perhaps the most fitting description of her own collection, one shaped by decades of experience, instinct and memory.

‘Each collection is one-of-a-kind because everything in it has its own story and was meaningfully chosen by the collector, with each piece stitched together to form a tapestry of memory.’

This season in Hong Kong, two extraordinary handbags begin new journeys. Yet they carry with them something greater than rarity alone: the story of a collector, a city she calls her second home, and a lifetime spent trusting her eye.