About
Heir is South Africa’s premier destination for authentic, one of a kind luxury handbags, with a focus on rare and hard to source pieces, including iconic Hermès Birkins, Kellys, and more. Guided by the belief that true luxury should endure, each handbag is carefully sourced from around the world, selected for its craftsmanship, rarity, and ability to hold meaning far beyond the season in which it was created.
Heir does not operate on consignment. Every piece in our collection is owned, personally sourced, inspected, and acquired, allowing us to ensure that only handbags of the finest design, condition, and provenance are offered. This uncompromising approach to curation ensures each piece is selected not only for its beauty, but for its ability to remain relevant across generations. All pieces are available for in person viewing by appointment. Bespoke sourcing is offered on request.
These handbags are more than accessories. They are iconic objects that carry memory and identity. To invest in a piece from Heir is to invest in excellence, something to live with, treasure, and one day pass on.
Our Story
Founded by Alexa Bortz, Heir is the result of a lifelong love for fashion and the world’s most iconic brands. Born and raised in Malibu, California to South African immigrant parents, Alexa was introduced to fashion from an early age.
As a child, she often played dress up in her mother’s closet, discovering the way a handbag can shape one’s confidence. Years later, when she inherited many of those same pieces, including iconic Hermès classics, she came to understand that their significance lay not in the bag itself, but in the memories and meaning carried across time. This sentiment is the foundation of Heir. What began as family heirlooms has evolved into a curated destination for handbags selected not only for their beauty and craftsmanship, but for their permanence.
Alexa’s return to Cape Town marked the beginning of Heir, created to bring rare, hard to source handbags closer to home. With a focus on timeless style and enduring quality, Heir offers pieces that hold meaning far beyond fashion.