How Filipino celebrity and influencer Heart Evangelista started hand-painting Hermès Birkins – for US$1,800 a pop

Jun 13 , 2020

Heart Evangelista rocking one of her hand-painted Hermès handbags at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: @iamhearte/ Instagram

Actress, fashionista, artist and wife of Philippine senator Francis Escudero, the Instagram influencer known as @iamhearte takes one of fashion’s most iconic bags to a whole new level – by painting all over it

Heart Evangelista is a headline-making Filipino celebrity who has more than a few strings to her bow. She’s a TV actress, an author, and a wife of a senator, too – married to Sorsogon governor Francis Escudero since 2015. As a crazy rich Asian and card-carrying fashionista, Heart is always present at international catwalks and owns a lavish collection. In addition to that, she is Love Marie, a nod to her real name and the talented artist within her – and with six million Instagram followers, she is a certified A-grade influencer.

Heart paints her heart out not just on plain canvases, but on Hermès bags that are worth hundreds of thousands – we’re talking Birkins, Kellies and Herbags. As if these coveted bags are not iconic enough, Heart takes them up a notch with her artistic skills.

Heart’s international career as a luxury bag painter started with an awkward accident

It all began, as Heart tells it, when she once accidentally spilled cheese fries on her orange designer bag. Exploring the best way to cover the stain, she discovered that Kim Kardashian owned a hand-painted Birkin. Having a eureka moment, Heart decided to paint the leather purse herself.

After sharing her Birkin success story, Heart easily gained an elite clientele

With her natural gift in the arts and some six million followers on Instagram, Heart was soon sought out by celebrity Hermès owners and international collectors who either wanted to remedy their own high-priced mistakes – or simply wanted to personalise their collection with a one-of-a-kind twist. She’s had more than 50 commissions to date.

At US$1,800 a pop, it ain’t a cheap tweak