It’s not a Birkin, says Hong Kong lawmaker Regina Ip as she hits out at online attacks over her purple handbag
- Eagle-eyed internet users had zoomed in on a photo of the pro-establishment legislator getting her Covid-19 jab this week, with her handbag placed under the table
- Ip says is aware her bag, which cost HK$30,000, is similar to a Hermes Birkin, but it is not a lookalike’
When Hong Kong lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee received her second dose of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine this week, she did not expect her purple handbag to make her the focus of online attacks.
Eagle-eyed internet users zoomed in on a photo of the pro-establishment legislator getting her jab, with her bag placed under the table. They noted it looked very similar to a Hermes Birkin bag, often called the ultimate luxury item and costing upwards of HK$115,000 (US$14,740).
The French luxury goods maker’s line of simple, structured rectangular leather carryalls with a flap closure and saddle stitching are named after British actress and singer Jane Birkin.
Ip told the Post the bag was locally made and was not a Birkin. She said she was in a shop in Central around six years ago and was sold a processed purple alligator skin, which the store made into a handbag.
She said she was aware the bag, which cost her HK$30,000, was similar to a Birkin, but it was not a “lookalike”.
“They asked what style I liked, and I said make something big enough for me to hold some documents,” Ip added.
The lawmaker believed she had been unfairly targeted and called the online attacks sexist. “People tend to pay too much attention to what women wear. We are always subjected to excessive scrutiny,” she said.