Recently at Sotheby’s Paris, the original prototype Birkin – custom-made by Hermès for Jane Birkin herself – shattered the world record for any handbag sold at auction, fetching a staggering €8.58 million (US$10.1 million). The sale made headlines across global media, particularly remarkable in an auction market recently marked by caution.

What surprised many even more than the price was the identity of the buyer. It wasn’t a high-profile collector from Europe, mainland China, or the Middle East – but a Japanese public company: Valuence, a group focused on the secondhand luxury market, founded by former J.League footballer Shinsuke Sakimoto.

In a statement, Valuence said it had no intention of reselling the bag for profit. Instead, the goal was to preserve a piece of global cultural heritage. Once the bag arrives in Japan, the company plans to hold a press conference and host a public exhibition to unveil the piece.

So how did Sakimoto go from pro footballer to the buyer of the world’s most expensive handbag? Here’s what to know about the millennial CEO.

Shinsuke Sakimoto | CEO and founder of Valuence

Valuence bought the original Birkin for a record-breaking price

From the pitch to the boardroom

Born in 1982 in Osaka, Shinsuke Sakimoto grew up with a deep passion for football. After high school, he joined Gamba Osaka, a top-tier J.League club, playing as a midfielder with hopes of one day making Japan’s national team.

With fierce competition on the squad, however, his contract ended after two seasons of underwhelming performance. He continued briefly in Japan’s semi-pro leagues (JFL), but struggled to find his footing and ultimately retired from football at just 22.

Unexpectedly, it was in business – not sports – that Sakimoto would find his stride.

After retiring, he began working at his father’s secondhand goods store, starting from the bottom and learning the trade firsthand. “I once bought a refrigerator for ¥3,000, cleaned it up, and sold it for ¥12,800,” he recalled. “That was when I realized – this is how business works.”

Shinsuke Sakimoto once played for Gamba Osaka, a top-tier J.League club

Building a secondhand empire

In 2007, Sakimoto launched Nanboya, a brand focused on buying and reselling luxury and vintage items. In 2011, he consolidated his expanding operations under the Valuence Group – a name meant to combine “value,” “experience,” and “intelligence.”

Valuence went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Market (now Growth Market) in 2018. Today, the company employs over 1,000 people, with a market cap of ¥12.4 billion (US$77 million) and annual revenue of ¥83 billion (US$515 million).

All of Valuence’s brands are built around the principles of the circular economy with a focus on sustainability – often delivered through full-service retail experiences. 

Valuence's core businesses include Allu, which specializes in pre-owned handbags, watches, jewellery, and precious metals 

Among its core businesses are Nanboya and Allu, both specializing in pre-owned handbags, watches, jewelry, and precious metals. Nanboya targets the domestic Japanese market, with over 100 storefronts nationwide. Allu, by contrast, is geared toward international expansion, with physical locations in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, the UAE, France, and the UK.

Allu has also expanded into adjacent services, including Allu Repair, which offers restoration for watches and leather goods via Nanboya storefronts, and Allu Auction, a global platform for trading luxury watches among collectors.

Valuence has applied a similar model to the automotive sector with Valuence Automotive, which offers pre-owned car sales bundled with inspection, repair, insurance, parts, and audio upgrades – all designed to streamline and elevate the secondhand ownership experience.

Allu Auction is a global platform for trading luxury watches

Allu Repair offers restoration for watches and leather goods

From athlete to arts and auctions

Although Sakimoto left professional sports behind, his passion continues to shape Valuence’s ventures. One example is Hattrick, a niche auction house named after the soccer term, which specializes in sports and music memorabilia.

Unlike traditional auction houses that often spotlight legendary icons, Hattrick focuses on items connected to current athletes and emerging artists – spanning fields as diverse as baseball, ping pong, judo, wrestling, gymnastics, archery, and dance.

Valuence also sponsors Nankatsu SC, a Kanto League football club inspired by Captain Tsubasa, the iconic manga series. The team’s name and branding were officially licensed through a collaboration with the manga’s creator, Yōichi Takahashi.

In the art world, Valuence has partnered with artist Mago Nagasaka on international exhibitions. Sakimoto himself maintains close ties with Japanese contemporary artists, and is frequently seen attending exhibitions by creatives such as Tomokazu Matsuyama and Asami Kiyokawa.

Hattrick's sports memorabilia offerings span a diverse range of fields 

Shinsuke Sakimoto (right) and Tomokazu Matsuyama (left)

A record-setting purchase that sparked global curiosity

News of the prototype Birkin sale quickly went viral. In his hometown, blogs and entertainment sites focused on Shinsuke Sakimoto’s personal life – from his self-made rise and three children to his low-profile but elegant wife, and even his brother’s success as the founder of a well-known artisanal toast bakery.

While some speculated the purchase was made to delight his wife – a theory more suited to tabloids – mainstream opinion holds that, though the price wasn’t insignificant (especially relative to Valuence’s market cap), the prototype Birkin aligns closely with the company’s business and brand image.

Even from a purely promotional standpoint, the scale of online and global media coverage alone has already made the purchase more than worth it. By openly identifying itself as the buyer, Valuence is widely seen as signaling its intention to further expand internationally.

Known for its progressive values, Valuence emphasizes sustainability, circularity, and anti-waste messaging in its branding, not investment or status. Its corporate website also notes that nearly half of its workforce is female.

Following its acquisition of the prototype Birkin, all eyes are on how Valuence might turn this landmark purchase into a strategic asset – and that remains to be seen.

Shinsuke Sakimoto visiting his brother's toast bakery

Valuence's branding highlights sustainability