For many people, spending tens of thousands of dollars on a handbag seems ridiculous, even if it has been crafted by masters and labeled “Hermes.” The high-fashion French bags might be beautiful, but the same amount of money could buy a new car or even a decent house in Jakarta.For others, however, a luxury Hermes handbag is an irresistible temptation, and they would make nearly any sacrifice to get one.Fitria Yusuf and Alexandra Dewi understand the powerful allure of a Hermes bag. The two entrepreneurs, fashionistas and socialites have been reselling them in Indonesia for almost two years, and in their new book, “Hermes Temptation,” they discuss how luxury handbags have evolved into a social phenomenon here and how the business has affected their own outlook on life.
“For most high-society ladies in Indonesia, Hermes bags are not only luxury items, but also status symbols that can help to cement their position in society,” Dewi said.The book, which was released this week in Jakarta, details how the two started a BlackBerry Messenger chat group, also named “Hermes Temptation,” in December 2009, using it as a forum to sell new and secondhand Hermes bags.The chat group soon expanded to seven groups and today it has 210 members, all avid Hermes fans who often spend hours every day talking about and hunting for the luxury bags.
“Our BlackBerrys used to freeze on an hourly basis because of these groups,” Dewi said with a laugh.Dewi has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the American College for the Applied Arts in Los Angeles.Chris Burch goes retail, Together with her husband, she manages Sun Hope Indonesia, a Jakarta-based company that sells vitamins and food supplements, but in her spare time she loves to write. Her first book, “I Beg Your Prada,” was published by Gramedia in 2006.
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