Why buy a preloved Louis Vuitton Speedy?

The Louis Vuitton Speedy we know and love was first produced in 1930 and christened the ‘Express’. It was the first bag produced by Louis Vuitton designed to be used as a daily bag, as opposed to a travel bag. The Speedy was introduced in monogram canvas in 1931. It was much later introduced in Damier Ebene, Damier Azur and epi leather. The much more recent style edit was the introduction of a bandouliere style Speedy in 2011, with added shoulder strap. The Speedy style has been carried by everyone from Rebel Wilson to Audrey Hepburn. The Speedy is quintessential Louis Vuitton.

Since the 1930’s the design of the Speedy remains largely unchanged. The consistency in design style means the Speedy is a great bag to pick up in preloved or vintage condition.

As at 1 November 2017 the AUD Recommended Retail Price (RRP) on the current collection of Speedy are:

• Speedy Nano bandouliere – $1160
• Speedy 25/bandouliere – $1320/$1740
• Speedy 30/bandouliere – $1350/$1770
• Speedy 35/bandouliere – $1380/$1800
• Speedy 40/bandouliere – $1400/$1830

Source: www.louisvuitton.com.au

While the Speedy bandouliere is a more recent addition to the Speedy family, it can be purchased preloved. That being said,  this style holds value very well. Assuming a preloved Speedy bandouliere is in very good condition, you will pay close to the retail price for it. In recent times there has been a reduced supply of new Speedy bandouliere bags, so this has propped up the price of preloved bags in the marketplace.

Better purchase price. The best value when buying a pre-loved Speedy is the original style bag. Due to their longstanding popularity, good-condition preloved Speedy bags remain plentiful in the marketplace and prices are relatively lower. Even without sacrificing too much in the way of condition, you can pick up a preloved or vintage Speedy for 50 to 60% of the current RRP. A preloved bag will usually have some wear and patina to the vachetta leather, but overall it will be in very good condition.

Condition.  Apart from patina to the vachetta leather and darkened glazing, you cannot really tell the difference between a Speedy made in the 80s/90s from one made this century.  All vachetta will honey over time. Some people actually prefer to skip the extra cost or the stress of marking virgin vachetta and jump straight to buying a vintage Speedy.

Additional styles. Buying a vintage Speedy also gives you the option of picking up discontinued models and limited edition style bags. The Daily Luxe’s favourite discontinued Speedy is the Mini HL. We recently picked this beautiful bag up for our private collection. Whilst this model has been discontinued, they remain very popular.

first 3 images: louisvuitton.com

Quality. This is a subjective opinion but many collectors will tell you the same … They just don’t make them like they used to! The vintage Speedy is bulletproof. The leather is thicker, the hardware is solid brass and the canvas is much sturdier. The Daily Luxe has restored many Speedy bags, some which have been30+ years in age and these beautiful bags remain in excellent condition because the quality craftsmanship is superb.

Residual resale value. Like anything, you pay a premium to buy new. As soon as you drive a new car out of the dealership it supposedly loses 20% of its value. The same applies with most luxury handbags, Louis Vuitton is no different. When you buy a preloved or vintage Speedy, the premium on the price has already been borne by the previous owner. Accordingly, you can buy a vintage Speedy, use it, and assuming its condition does not deteriorate significantly, it will retain its resale value.

The Boss Lady loves a vintage Speedy! Both from a fashion history point of view as well as a value point of view. At The Daily Luxe we source and restore vintage Speedy bags for resale as a matter of course. These bags are a perennial favourite and a style every Louis Vuitton lover should have in their personal collection.

above: daily luxe restored vintage speedy