I’ve been known to experience yearnings for a buttery soft leather purse or a finely tailored pocketbook. These coveted items are typically $200-$300 in comparison to my usual budget of $30-$50 for a handbag. But way up within the range of the high and mighty, or the less well-off victims of fashion, the bag that is currently deemed worthy of desire is $5,300. That is the price of a Birkin from Hermès. The lofty price tag is not the only barrier. There is an eight month waiting list, and the list is often closed unless, perhaps, you’re a Mrs. Seinfeld as Kate Betts reveals for the NY Times. Artificial or not, the scarcity does have some basis in the intensive hand manufacturing methods employed by the Paris saddle manufacturer that, like its counterpart Gucci, discovered the gold mine in luxury goods with a horsey provenance.

Hermès trains their leather craftsmen for five years before they can begin a Birkin. With the labor intensive work and the 35 hour work week imposed by the French government, output is limited. A UK Observer article goes behind the scenes, with not-for-PETA peeks at how the ostrich, calf, crocodile, and shark hides are carefully cut to provide only the highest quality materials. Workers hoard their tools, passing them onto favored apprentices. The result is a product that lasts generations. It is the heirloom silver of handbags, passed from mother to daughter, sent back to the factory for careful refurbishing. Despite the current trendiness and bloated pricing, the old world craftsmanship does demand respect.