Investor: Mounissa Chodieva, 39, founder of luxury wardrobe management service Vault (vaultcouture.com)

Number of investment bags: 293

Estimated value of collection: unknown

Most expensive bag: A bag that once belonged to Margaret Thatcher, £35,000

“I keep my bags in museum-quality conditions, in an air-controlled, guarded storage facility. I could use any of them, but tend to rotate one or two for day-to-day wear – usually Hermès Birkins, which I have no plans to resell.

“Hermès is my preferred brand. I seek out rare skins and styles as they’re guaranteed to go up in value. Generally only a handful are made each year, so I attend international auctions and private bag exhibitions and often connect with other collectors. Paris is the ultimate destination to buy vintage, though I recently attended an extraordinary auction with exemplary pieces in Moscow. Auctions are where I go to unwind. I tend to collect rather than sell on, but I will swap a bag if I find I have more than one in the same style.

“I bought Margaret Thatcher’s bag at a charity auction in 2014. It’s boxy and black – very understated. The auction got impassioned with lots of bidders, but I don’t regret the purchase – all proceeds went to charity, after all. I use it when I go to meetings and want to feel empowered. Carrying one of her bags is like taking a small part of history with me.

“My passion for bags started while growing up in communist Russia. I was obsessed with a weekly CNN show – one of the only western channels we could get – called Style With Elsa Klensch. Reporting on the history and symbolism behind brands like Calvin Klein and YSL, it seemed like a real fashion education. Of course it was far removed from my everyday life (though my family lived comfortably, luxury goods were hard to come by), but ultimately it was my first lesson in bag investment. It taught me to look for craftsmanship and clever design.

“I started collecting properly after university – more as a hobby than an investment – and was gifted my first Hermès Birkin by my parents for my 25th birthday. Hermès bags are an excellent example of style and craftsmanship. Only limited numbers of each design are produced every year and they can be particularly lucrative if you find the more exotic colours. I try to buy new, but for vintage I’m constantly checking 1stdibs (1stdibs.com). Each piece is listed with an in-depth description of its history. I can lose a few hours there.”

Investment tip: “The pieces that retain their value are either limited edition or ones that epitomise their era. It’s about understanding which styles captured the zeitgeist. Tom Ford at Gucci, John Galliano at Dior; they each had signature styles, so well-maintained versions of their bags now sell because they created an historic moment.”

Hold onto your assets: some handbags are now more valuable than gold