What do you do when your significant other wants an expensive gift that you cannot afford?
Well, Alexander Sway from Downtown Bellevue, Washington, was determined to get as close as possible to fulfilling his partner's wish of wanting a luxury handbag that he spent two months making the expensive gift his girlfriend, MJ Kim, wanted which was a Hermès Birkin bag.
The So Black Matte Alligator Mississippiensis Birkin 35 was the handbag Sway replicated and it is listed for a whopping $110,000 on Sotheby's.
Sway was unable to afford the real thing, so he researched and found some 'blueprints' online for the accessory and he watched YouTube videos to learn the art of bag making.
He told DailyMail.com that he purchased some leather material for about $80, while the tools cost $300 and 'it took about 60 days to complete the bag from start to finish.'
Sway is a real estate agent and was inspired to make the bag as MJ often joked about wanting a luxury bag as a gift.
He explained: 'I have a history of doing DIY projects and thought it might be fun to surprise her with a handmade bag.
'I looked up the instructions online and it didn't seem to complicated so I decided to give it a try.
'There were instructions online that I had purchased and went to a local leather store to source some high-quality materials and tools.'
In two videos uploaded to TikTok and Instagram, Alexander shows how he went about making the bag and the painstaking process involved. It went viral with a combined total of 50 million views.
Detailing what his introduction to handbag making was like, Alexander said: 'The process was very involved.
'It involved cutting the separate parts out of the leather then individually punching holes for sewing. I had to cut the pieces out several times because I was not experienced enough to know how to keep the lines straight.
'Then I hand punched about a thousand holes in preparation for sewing. This was very time consuming and a little painful because of the posture that I had to stay in.
'Finally, I could hand sew the pieces together, which ended up being the most challenging part. The string eventually cut into my fingers and left my hands very sore.
'I have never worked on a bag like this before nor done work on leather.'
Along with the bag, he also made a horse-shaped Hermes 'rodeo' bag charm. Authentic versions of this small leather accessory usually retail at $1,000 new.
He explained in an overlaid caption that his project 'didn't turn out perfect but that's all part of the process.'
Many social media users commented on his great work.
One wrote: 'Hermes is $110,000. A handbag made by your man is priceless.'
Another added: 'I think having a partner willing to put in this work and thought into a gift is a bigger flex than having a Birkin bag.'
The bag can cost more than $100,000 and there is usually a long waitlist to get a hold of one. Sometimes up to six years. The famous iconic designer bag was created by former Hermes chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984.
These bags hold their value and appraisers generally agree that even the most basic of the Birkin range can start from about $10,000.
Victoria Beckham is famously known for reportedly owning a collection worth more than $2 million of the designer bags, while Kim Kardashian has so many that she uses one as a gym bag.
Click on the Instagram video to see Sway's making of the famous designer bag.
Source: Daily Mail