The Most Investment-Worthy Designer Handbags of 2023, According to Resale Data

Rebag, the accessories-focused online luxury resale platform, released its 2023 Clair Report on Wednesday, which delves into how designer brands performed on the resale market this year. Named for the company's proprietary software suite (which stands for Comprehensive Luxury Appraisal Index for Resale), the report uses 2023's data to calculate how well top designer brands and their hot-ticket accessories retained their value.

Telfar has continued to crush its competition with "off the charts" value retention: The brand was 2022's top performer by this metric, and this year, it achieved a 228% average value retention.

Out of the three brands that achieved "unicorn" status (Rebag's descriptor for brands that resold for between 85%-110% of their retail prices) in 2022 — Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Chanel — only Hermès maintained its spot in the category in 2023 and was joined by French maison Goyard. Hermès saw a 6% increase in its average value retention this year, making it the top investment-worthy brand after Telfar; in particular, the brand's Constance Bag and Picotin Lock Bag retained the most value.

Behind Goyard is Chanel, whose own price increases spurred price increases in resale as well; its Deauville tote, 22 Chain Hobo and Coco Top Handle, in particular, tended to sell above retail. Louis Vuitton follows closely behind Chanel in terms of value retention: Despite debuting all the way back in 2007, its Neverfull Tote reached new heights of popularity this year after the brand introduced a waitlist for the style. With a newfound sense of scarcity, the Neverfull Tote retained 136% of its retail value on average — up eight percentage points over the previous year.

This is all despite the fact that some brands experienced slight declines in their average value retention as "primary market price increases outpaced those in the secondary market," the report reads. In other words, many handbags are not being marked up quite as significantly on the resale market these days.

"The one thing I would say that's pretty different holistically versus last year is we didn't see quite as much of a jump on the secondary market versus pricing on the primary market," Rebag's Chief Marketing Officer Elizabeth Layne explains. "So obviously, there's like lots of macro factors at play, but the luxury brands are still trying to retain that exclusivity, so they keep increasing their prices. And the secondary market moves a little bit behind that, so we're not increasing our prices quite as much."

As one of the buzziest fashion trends of 2023, "quiet luxury" also had an impact on accessory sales. Brands like Loewe, The Row and Bottega Veneta were among the "stealth wealth" supremes: Loewe's Basket Tote, The Row's N/S Park Tote and Bottega Veneta's Jodie Hobo saw 92%, 85% and 73% value retention, respectively.

Barbiecore also reached every corner of the fashion industry, including the secondary luxury market. Pink handbags retained an average value of 81%, compared to the 76% average value for all other colors combined. Unsurprisingly, Chanel's Classic Flap bag in bubblegum pink took the top spot with 110% average value retention, largely thanks to how prominently Chanel was featured in Margot Robbie's on and off-screen looks for "Barbie." But take note: this trend is likely 2023-specific.

"Pink isn't historically a color that does amazingly well in the secondary market," Layne said. "Colors usually are the blacks, neutrals, whites, sometimes navy, the occasional red, but we saw quite a jump in pink, in particular Chanel pink, which [is] probably no surprise given the red carpet for Margot Robbie."

In terms of overall popularity, Celine's Triomphe, a celebrity-approved style, was Rebag's most-searched bag of 2023. Following the Triomphe were Louis Vuitton's Neverfull in second place and Prada's Re-Edition in third place. Meanwhile, Hermès' Kelly Pochette saw the highest increase in value this year (+93%).

The report also delved into luxury watches and jewelry, finding that this year's top performers were Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe. Audemars Piguet achieved a 107% average value retention, which aligned the brand with Rolex for the first time. Cartier is also a worthwhile watch brand to invest in, as it boasts an 80% value retention with the help of its timeless Tank style.

Once a staple for sweet sixteens in the early aughts, Tiffany & Co.'s Return to Tiffany Heart Tag Choker Necklace reemerged as one of the brand's must-have jewelry styles with a 94% average value retention, largely thanks to this year's Return to Tiffany x Beyoncé collection.

If you're trying to decide what's worth investing in (or gifting?) now, look no further than Rebag's Clair Picks — the items it believes will continue to rise in value based on data. The top picks for handbags include Louis Vuitton's Sologne Bag, Saint Laurent's Le 5 À 7 Hobo and Chanel's Classic Double Flap Bag. For watches, Cartier's Panthère de Cartier Quartz Watch Stainless Steel 22 and two Rolex styles, Oyster Perpetual Datejust Automatic Watch Stainless Steel and Yellow Gold 36 and Oyster Perpetual Datejust Automatic Watch Stainless Steel 41, made the cut.

Finally, the fine jewelry worth investing in right now includes Bulgari's B.Zero1 Pendant Necklace, Chanel's Coco Crush Ring and Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra 5 Motifs Bracelet.

To read the full report, visit Rebag's website here.

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