Chinese flag Birkin bag – the fashion must-have for patriotic celebrities

From Fan Bingbing and Yang Mi to Liu Wen, this Hermès bag could be the perfect patriotic statement for celebrities
The US$125,000 Birkin bag is fiery red and sports the five golden stars that adorn the Chinese flag

Fashion

Vincenzo La Torre

Published: 3:00pm, 15 Aug 2019

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Chinese celebrities trying to rehabilitate their image after recent controversies may have the perfect bag to add to their wardrobes.

From stars caught up in tax fraud scandals (Fan Bingbing) to those who rushed to distance themselves from brands that listed Hong Kong and Taiwan as separate countries to China (Yang Mi and Liu Wen), this bag could be the perfect patriotic statement of allegiance to their home country.

This Birkin bag from Parisian leather-goods house Hermès, available for special order at online retailer Moda Operandi, is an interpretation of the Chinese flag.

The crocodile leather of the bag, which is in the same fiery red of the flag, is embossed with the five golden stars that embellish the Chinese flag: the larger star represents the Communist Party and the four smaller ones represent the different social classes of people.

Hermès Birkin bags are highly collectible and limited-edition versions, such as this one, can fetch up to US$200,000 at auction. This model of the coveted arm candy, which according to Moda Operandi is already sold out, will set you back HK$979,555 (about US$125,000).

Last year, actress Fan, who was until recently one of China’s highest-earning entertainers, was caught up in a tax-evasion scandal that led to many brands severing ties with her.

Melania Trump rocks US$60k Hermès Birkin bag during Downing Street visit

Also, in recent days, actress Mi and model Wen distanced themselves from brands Versace and Coach, respectively, after Chinese netizens pointed out that some of the brands’ websites listed Hong Kong and Taiwan as separate countries to China.

Italian luxury fashion brand Versace issued an apology to its Chinese customers after it came under fire in China for mislabelling Hong Kong and Macau, the two special administrative regions of China, as countries on a T-shirt. Photo: Weibo

While products bearing the image of the Chinese flag are available for sale at street markets in China and Chinatowns around the world, Chinese law forbids commercial use of the national flag.

Retailer Moda Operandi, which sells the bag in question, doesn’t specify if the Chinese flag Birkin is an actual Hermès product or if the site is customising the bag after purchasing an original plain red crocodile version from Hermès.

Given that Hermès doesn’t sell any of its bags online, it’s more likely to be the latter. The Post has reached out to Hermès to verify the provenance of the item.

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