No One Needs a $7,000 Handbag!

Posted by M.S. on May 10, 2009

I was flabbergasted while reading an article in the Wall Street Journal the other day regarding the luxury French fashion house, Hermes International, and how business is booming on ultra expensive designer items.  Hermes Sales Benefit from Exclusivity

According to the Wall Street Journal article, Kasia Al Thani owns 18 versions of the $7,000 Birkin handbag made by Hermès and is on waiting lists for two more bags, including one in white crocodile skin.

“When I see other women carrying a Birkin in a color that I want, I get bag envy,” says the 32-year-old chief executive of luxury retail Web site savoir-faire.com. “The more you can’t have something, the more you want it.” Al Thani said.  My head was spinning!

I had recently read an article in USA Today about a marvelous website called WishUponaHero.com where people can donate online to directly help people with needs of various types.  Website Connects Needy to the Charitable. The article stated that increasingly, requests are being placed for the basics of life, including groceries and gas money, along with pleas for help with medical bills and utilties payments!

The cost of  those 18 outrageously expensive ultra-luxury handbags comes to $126,000!   Think about how much food or medicine that could provide for sick and hungry little kids!   Imagine how many people could be helped if the money was put to a higher use and what an impact that type of  investment could have on the world!

The profound irony of this comment about the designer handbags really struck me  “The more you can’t have something, the more you want it.”  I bet that’s the same thing mothers are saying about having NO food or medicine for their children, and what poor and elderly people are saying about an expensive medical procedure they cannot afford!

What an impact even the cost of even one $7,000 Hermes bag could have on those people’s lives!

The rush gotten from knowing you have helped people should last a lot longer than the thrill from carrying the latest extravagant fashion accessory.