Finarte’s Luxury Fashion Auction confirms the growth of the high-end second-hand market: record-breaking Kelly and Birkin, iconic Hermès, Chanel and Dior accessories and a new generation of collectors in search of rarity and authenticity.
Auctions are no longer a ritual for professionals, nor a territory reserved for the most experienced collectors. In recent years they have become a cultural phenomenon, a privileged observatory for understanding what the public wants and how the very concept of luxury is transforming. The growth of the sector is there for all to see, and Finarte’s latest Luxury Fashion Auction – held on 9 December in the Milanese headquarters in Via dei Bossi 2 – is the most evident confirmation of this.
The sale closed with a clear message: the high-end second-hand market is no longer a niche, but a mature, international, vibrant ecosystem, fueled by a new generation of collectors seeking rarity and authenticity. Once again, Hermès acts as a compass. The Parisian brand continues to be the most precise thermometer to measure the health of this universe, a point of reference that manages to catalyze desire, competition and growing values. As Margherita Manfredi, Head of Finarte’s Luxury Fashion Department, explains, the strength of the Maison lies in the perfect combination of “rarity, desirability and impeccable conservation of the most sought-after models”.
It is therefore not surprising that the top lot of the auction was a Kelly Retourne 35 in Mykonos blue alligator, sold for 40,470 euros. An object that seems to condense in itself all the charm of contemporary collecting, from exotic materials to rare colours. Equally hotly contested is the Birkin 30 in Togo Orange leather, which reached 12,750 euros.
What makes the picture even more interesting is the cross-category growth. The public no longer looks only at bags, but curiously explores accessories, jewelery and archive items. The most emblematic example is the Hermès “Kachinas” scarf from 1992: a sort of talisman for fans of the Maison, celebrated for its chromatic liveliness and Oliver Kermit’s signature, sold for 645 euros. A figure that tells of the desire to own not just a fashion object, but a fragment of history.
The French scene continues to exert an undisputed charm. Chanel confirms itself as a certainty with solid results. A long-sleeved jacket reaches 2,580 euros, while the Mini Shopper flies to 3,096 euros after a close competition. Dior, with its poetic and recognizable aesthetic, places a delicate powder pink Saddle at 2,838 euros, a sign of an ever-lively demand for the most elegant reinterpretations of the 2000s wardrobe.
Results that confirm an increasingly clear dynamic: luxury vintage is not just an economic segment, but a cultural language. Those who buy are not simply looking for an object, but a stylistic legacy, a history to cherish, a fragment of shared imagination.
