“Finally, you have purchased your dream Hermes Birkin. You are all ready to flaunt it to your next ladies’ club meet and out-dazzle the other divas in your group. So far so good. What happens when you actually do carry it the next do? Two more ladies in the group also come carrying Birkins. So much for the rarity and exclusivity of the Birkin!” 

“You were lucky to inherit the lovely Kelly from a rich and benevolent aunt. Exclusive it is, pricey it definitely is, coveted it always will be, but you still want it to be ‘more you’.”

“You are have two Birkins and one Kelly and one Herbag in your wardrobe. Other women may go green with envy when they see you carrying one of your prized babies, but let’s face it, you have higher aspirations and want your prized bags to be even more exclusive.” 

“ You were born with the proverbial golden spoon in your mouth. Everything you own is custom, bespoke, befitting your status. Then why is your bag the same as what Posh Beckham or JLo are sporting?”

The problem with uber designer luxury bags is that no matter how top rung the brand, no matter how high the price tag, or how terrific the leather, the finishing and the detailing, the fact remains that there are too many similar ones sitting pretty in wardrobes other than yours. Worse, many of these may even be in your own social circle. Quite the nightmare of the fashionista who arrives at a do and sees another lady carrying the same bag. Pure sacrilege, you will agree. A lady with sophisticated taste always prefers being absolutely the only one of her kind, after all! 

If you are facing the dilemma of how to take your Birkin/Kelly/Herbag a notch above of what they already are at exalted heights, help is at hand.

 So what’s the solution here? How do you carry the brand that matches your verve, shows your class and yet ensures that your bag is absolutely unique? The answer is simple. Get it reborn into a new avatar that retains its body and soul but looks way more unique, more outstanding. Get your designer bag personalized.

Personalization of luxury bags is done in many ways. Let’s acquaint ourselves with some personalization pointers.

Hot stamping

The first level of personalization is that you get your name or initials hot-stamped onto the bag. The process is simple, takes only a few minutes and many boutiques and stores offer it right at their premises. You buy the bag and dictate what initials to place on it. Your chosen alphabets are then created on the bag using color, heat and pressure. Hey and presto, you have a bag that’s now personalized. Simple, yes. Exclusive, hardly.

Our verdict: This is the most basic personalization. As a matter of fact, many stores offer it as a complimentary offer of ‘buy the bag, get it initialed too’. If you have emptied your pockets to get your bag and now don’t want to spend too much for personalization, go for it.

Hand painting of initials

This is a notch higher than hot stamping on the personalization hierarchy. You purchase a bag, place an order for hand painting of initials (some brands even offer stripes and motifs), pay extra and after a few weeks, your bag is delivered with exclusive hand painted initials (or a motif of your choice!).

Our verdict: Hand painting, however tiny, is better than hot stamping, definitely. Quality hand painting is a premium touch added to your haute bag. Still, it is just a touch and not a true makeover. Your bag still looks like 99% similar to its sister pieces.

Fully painted personalization

Now that’s the real deal, the Holy Grail of personalization.

 In it, your bag is hand painted with real art. Not an initial or two, not an icon or two. Instead a full painting comes alive on your bag with real and painstaking brushstrokes. What’s even better, you can choose the art work you wish to have as your arm candy. Impressionist, Expressionist, Old Masters, Folk, Modern, Cubism, Cartoon – whatever your choice of art, you can get it painstakingly painted on your bag to make it truly unique. This is how you make your prized Birkin or Kelly or Herbag a true masterpiece.

Of course, top quality personalization is no child’s play. It takes a company of some skill, caliber and reputation to add more value, more appeal, more individualization to your premium designer bag. 

Kiev-based ARTBURO with collection centers in Milan, Toronto and New York, is a leading name in this field.

Christian Dior Diorissimo Bag for top model Sasha Luss.

ARTBURO actually invites its clients to hand pick the painting they want reproduced on to the bag. Van Gogh’s Irises or Nightside Café, Poynter’s ‘The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, Chagall’s ‘I and the Village’, Rene Magritte’s Specchio Falso, Ukrainian folk art, Disney cartoons –  they have delivered them all hand painted on-bag reproductions for their top drawer clients. You name your preference; they will paint it onto your Hermes bag to make a thing of beauty your very own joy (and others’ envy) forever. Plus, as they never repeat their designs or painting, your awesome handbag actually becomes the only one of its kind in the entire world.

Another advantage of this ultra luxe personalization is that it can be done onto a bag you already own. If you have had your fill of the same-as-others’ Birkins. Kellys and Herbags, move on to personalization. And receive a bag that’s more than a bag. It is also a work of art that appreciates with time. Yes, that’s true. A genuine hand painted and personalized Hermes bag, quite like top artists’ canvases, commands high premium at auctions.

So you see, personalization of a premium designer bag is as much an investment as it a desire to own something absolutely unique. Personalization is the pathway to making your prized bag the absolutely the only one of its kind. Not just in your social group, but worldwide as well.