Rare Collection is our look into the things people keep, including their stories, habits, and obsessions. This time, photographer BJ Pascual takes us inside his growing archive of handbags, where every piece &mdash; from Chanel to Herm&egrave;s &mdash; marks a creative milestone and a moment of self-discovery.

PHOTOGRAPHY Ritchie Jo
STYLING Izzy Tuason

As one of the country&rsquo;s top fashion photographers, BJ Pascual has always had an eye for beauty. Lately, that eye&rsquo;s found a new subject: handbags.
It started, as most good stories do, by accident. During the pandemic, he came across a vintage Chanel full flap and never looked back. One bag turned into a few, then a collection that now spans Dior, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Herm&egrave;s, and more. Each one marks a moment in his life, a mix of memory and reward.
For Rare Collection, Pascual talks about how the collection took shape, the thrill of finding rare pieces, and how each bag now says something about where he&rsquo;s been &mdash; and where he&rsquo;s going next.

How did your collection start &mdash; was there a specific piece that set it off?
My women&rsquo;s handbag collection started just a few years ago, early 2021 pandemic revenge shopping, with a vintage Chanel full flap bag in navy lambskin that my friend and stylist Izzy [Tuason] also owned and helped me source. Prior to this, all I had were a few crossbody bags from the men&rsquo;s section that served their purpose but weren&rsquo;t quite as exciting.
When did you realize it had become a collection and not just a few favorite bags?
It spiraled quickly after that &mdash; a few group chats with our friend Michelle and a couple of FaceTime calls later, I bought a Stephen Sprouse Louis Vuitton Pochette, a Raf Simons-era Lady Dior, a Miu Miu hobo, and a Balenciaga First. I think that&rsquo;s when they became a family.
What do you think makes something worth collecting? Is it design, rarity, story, or something else?
I like to speculate on bags from previous decades that I think the fashion world would soon shine its spotlight on. It&rsquo;s kind of healing to find pieces that I used to drool over as a fashion-obsessed teen (with zero budget) and now get to buy with my hard-earned adult money.

You own Herm&egrave;s bags &mdash; what&rsquo;s the story behind those pieces?
My first Herm&egrave;s bag is a vintage box leather Kelly that I am about to send to the leather doctor to have its handle reattached. Please wish her a full recovery! Recently, I&rsquo;ve been working with Gaultier, a former creative director of the Maison, and I&rsquo;ve been hunting for special pieces from his tenure, like the Shoulder Kelly, the So Kelly, and the Shadow Birkin.
Which bag do you consider the rarest or most meaningful in your collection?
It would have to be my black Shadow Birkin 35 in Swift leather. I found it for a really good price at a time when I wanted to reward myself for hard work and personal healing.
Is there one piece you regret not buying when you had the chance?
A Proenza Schouler PS1. Just a couple of years ago, I was about to place an order on one, and my stylist said, &ldquo;Too soon.&rdquo; Now the prices have gone up fivefold.

Do you ever hunt for specific bags, or do they usually find you?
They usually find me on trips when I don&rsquo;t plan on buying bags. And when I plan on buying bags, I end up with a watch! Case in point, I was in NYC a few years ago, crushing hard on a graphic black-and-white Chanel classic flap. I was persuaded to super-size it and put my funds towards my vintage steel and gold Royal Oak, the most worn watch in my tiny collection.
What does collecting mean to you beyond fashion? Do you think what we collect says something about who we are?
Young queer me from Cavite felt like I didn&rsquo;t have a place in the fashion world, and sometimes I still do. The pieces I collect and wear tell my story before I even open my mouth &mdash; the creative minds I revere, and how I would like to be perceived.
How has your collection evolved with your career or where you are in life right now?
I used to shy away from taking influencer deals because a lot of older industry people made comments (in private and in public) about how it made me less of a &ldquo;serious&rdquo; photographer, but at some point in my career, I decided to embrace it and take on projects in front of the camera. Sometime around those eras, I felt emboldened to experiment and try to push the envelope in ways that still feel like me. I like to think of what young me would fantasize about wearing back then and just go for it, in hopes I somehow inspire the next generation to do the same.

MAKEUP Thazzia Falek
STYLING ASSISTANT Maddy Silvala
MAKEUP ASSISTANT Tara&nbsp;

Inside BJ Pascual's Archival Bag Collection

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