People save money to buy a house or to achieve other dreams but there is a woman who feels buying handbags is more important than buying a house for her.
Apollonia Llewellyn spends her earning on a designer bag collection and calls herself the ‘ultimate bag lady of Britain.’ The 21-year-old fashion blogger lives with her parents and her boyfriend Billy Mole, 23, has also moved with them.
She said: “People may look at me and think I am a dumb blonde, but I’m not. I am the ultimate 21-year-old bag lady of Britain.’’
“I have a collection worth thousands, and that is more important to me than buying a house. My collection takes pride of place and no one but me is allowed to touch it.”
She got inspired by celebrities’ designer bag collections and started doing the same. Apollonia added: “All of the supermodels, like Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Kate Moss and Kim Kardashian, collected designer bags and were showing them off on social media.’’
“I loved looking at their collections, so I started researching designer labels and decided I was going to start collecting.”
Her mom Paula, 49, who is a personal manager helps her daughter in collecting the designer labels and she was the one who gifted Apollonia her first Michael Kors bag.
The bag addict said: “She (her mother) left a present in my room on my birthday and when I opened it I saw my first £300 Michael Kors bag. I took it everywhere. It spurred me on, even more, to officially begin collecting.”
Previously, Apollonia bought DKNY bag for £200 and a £400 Valentino bag from the money she received on her birthday. ‘’I pleaded with my mom and dad to buy me a black Gucci bag for £1,200. I showed my mom research about how they had been increasing in value. My dad wasn’t as convinced but now that bag is worth £1,600.”
“By the age of 18, I had amassed 15 to 20 high- street bags and a dozen designer bags. This included mini Jimmy Choo bags, including the Jolly mini worth £500, the mini Callie hobo worth £475 and the classic Jimmy Choo mini logo version worth £475.”
“I’d also managed to add a crossbody hot-pink Gucci bag which cost £1,300. The coronavirus epidemic has seen the stock market plummet and many homes are falling in price, so I believe now has never been a better time to get into the business.”
“I have been looking at a couple of Birkins, which will cost £15,000 for basic calf-skin style. I don’t care if I have to eat baked beans for a year. It’s an investment that is paying off. Mum and Dad don’t charge me any rent, so that helps me a lot.”
Apollonia collaborates on her blog and sells bags which helps her earn £1,400 a month. She invests back her savings in buying designer labels.
She said: “I keep track of all my bags on a spreadsheet, and how much I paid for them.’’
“I will spend hours checking high-end, secondhand designer-bag sites, and auctions like Christie’s, to see if the bags I have are increasing in value. My collection has increased in value by 25 per cent in the last two years, and some of my older bags have almost doubled. Last year I sold the Michael Kors bag I was given when I was 14 for £500, making a £200 profit.”
The most expensive bag which she has bought till date was of £5,000. She spent her four-month salary on that bag. “I spotted a classic Chanel hot-pink quilted bag and was determined to get it, as it had always been on my wish list,’’ she explained.
“I spent all of my salary, for four months, on it. When it arrived in its beautiful packaging and special dust-bag cover, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.
“I have always been a Barbie fan and it was the ultimate accessory. It takes pride of place.”
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