How the Olsen Twins can't keep up with demand for their $39,000 alligator backpack - so who on earth is actually buying them?

It is more expensive than the average Hermes Birkin. But it seems the Olsen Twins can barely keep up with demand for their $39,000 backpack.

The bag, which is part of a new accessories line for their label, The Row, has proved a bestseller, despite its eye-watering price-tag.

Speaking at a Paris Fashion Week party held by retailer Montaigne Market, the twins, 25, said that the alligator-skin designs had proved a huge hit with customers.

Bestseller: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen cannot keep up with demand for the $39,000 alligator skin backpack from their label The Row

Ashley told WWD: ' It was the first thing that sold off the shelf.'

She added that it was often only the most high-end brands that were able to thrive during an economic crisis.

'During our last economic crisis in the U.S., the only thing that went up was Hermès,' she said.

Of course the fact that Ashley is regularly spotted toting the pricey number around New York can't have hurt sales.

She also carried it this weekend to Kanye West's high-profile Paris fashion show.



Bag ladies: Ashley (left) is regularly spotted carrying the pricey accessory, most recently at Kanye West's Paris Fashion Week show

The backpack, which has gold hardware at the toggle, is the most expensive piece in the accessories range, which starts at $4,700 for one of the smallest designs.

The price point is on a par with high-end labels such as Hermes, which can charge up to $40,000 for a bespoke crocodile Birkin.

It even exceeds the pricetag of Victoria Beckham's accessories, which has a top price of $29,000 for the large hand luggage bag.

But it seems the Olsen girls are onto something as New York store Barneys said that two backpacks had been pre-ordered before the collection even went on sale.

Expensive taste: Ashley is regularly spotted carrying the bag in New York too

Amanda Brooks, the retailer's fashion director, explained to Fashionista.com why she believed the bag was worth stocking.

'I think if you were ever going to spend $39,000 on a bag, that’s the bag you should buy because I think you’d wear it for a really long time,' she told the site. 'There's enough design to make it interesting and beautiful but they truly are classic bags – and I think you also might be the only one who has it.' The fact that the retailer believes customers will spend so much money on a backpack also indicates that the style is enjoying a revival.

Expensive: The Row backpack exceeds the pricetag of Victoria Beckham's $29,000 hand luggage (left) and is on a par with a crocodile Hermes Birkin

Model Daisy Lowe has been seen carrying a Louis Vuitton Bosphore backpack, while Rachel Bilson toted her Pendleton bag most of last summer.

Lady Gaga carried a mini leather backpack during a visit to Japan three weeks ago, and Monegasque Royal Charlotte Casiraghi included a backpack in her new equestrian collaboration with Gucci.

Simon Doonan, Barneys' creative ambassador-at-large told Fashionista why he believed the backpack renaissance was about to take off.

'It’s never been more complicated to be a girl than it is now,' he said.

