Get the latest gossip

‘Hell hath no fury like a wealthy person being told no’: can elite shoppers really force Hermès to sell them Birkins?

Californians are suing the brand after thwarted attempts to buy the coveted items – a process said to require more than money

Their suit accuses Hermès of “unlawful tying”: getting customers to buy items such as scarves, jewellery, clothing and home goods to demonstrate “sufficient purchase history”, in order to prove themselves “worthy” of a Birkin. “The thrill of the chase really gets people hooked, addicted, to the process of obtaining one,” says Pardoe, whose work as a celebrity hairdresser (he specialises in hair extensions for clients including Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton) funds his own Birkin habit. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The GuardianWhether artificial or real (Hermès does not disclose how many it produces annually), it is a perception of scarcity that has helped Birkins endure, while other It bags of the noughties have long gone out of fashion.

Get the Android app