A rare Hermès Birkin bag set a new world record at auction this week when it sold for HK$1.625 million (Dh764,036) – more than four times its estimate. The limited-edition bag, which had a low presale estimate of HK$400,000, attracted bidders from more than 20 countries when it was sold at Christie's auction house in Hong Kong. The bag is part of the Hermès <em>So Black</em> series, deemed to be extremely rare among collectors, with the previous record sale from this series fetching HK$1.375 million at auction in May 2018. The <em>So Black</em> collection was designed by Jean Paul Gaultier during his stint as Hermès's creative director from 2003 to 2010. Despite that bag, made from Niloticus crocodile skin, reaching a new world record for the series, it was not the most expensive bag sold at the auction. The bag with the highest price tag was a matte white crocodile skin bag from theHermès Himalaya collection, which sold for HK$2 million. The spring auction, which was dedicated to handbags and accessories, raked in more than HK$45.6 million in total, with more than half of all lots sold fetching higher-than-estimate prices. Despite <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/fashion/selfridges-to-ban-sale-of-exotic-animal-skins-1.831183">growing controversy</a> around the use of exotic skins in fashion, bags and accessories made from rare skins continue to fetch high prices at auction. <a href="http://Victoria Beckham joins Chanel in banning the use of exotic skins">Chanel and Victoria Beckham</a> are among the designers to recently ban their use.