“Hell hath no fury like a wealthy person being told no,” says Alex Pardoe, an Hermès superfan and TikTok creator, recalling the many times he has seen “grown men and women having five-star meltdowns” within the otherwise fragrant environs of the Hermès flagship store in Paris.
These tantrums, says Pardoe, are always sparked by the same conflict: a rich person walks in, asks to buy an Hermès Birkin – fashion’s most high-status handbag, which costs $10,000 or more – and is told that none are available. This happens a lot, because Birkins, according to luxury handbag lore, are not mere products to be sold over the counter like cans of baked beans. Buying a Birkin takes more than money, so the received wisdom says: deliveries are limited and sales associates will earmark them for their favourite clients.
