LOS ANGELES, CA.- Bonhams is building on its success in offering handbags & fashion by introducing the category to the US market, appointing fashion specialist Marissa Speer as Head of Sale to lead the newly created department in the US. The department will present designer handbags, accessories and ready-to-wear from names such as Hermès, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton. Marissa takes up the position with immediate effect.

With 20 years’ experience, Marissa is a recognised authority in the pre-loved luxury goods sector known for her unique and tasteful eye. Having refined her skills over the years, she regularly educates buyers and sellers on how to authenticate and purchase collectible items. She will bring her expertise and knowledge to the newly created role and department to develop the category further in the US market.

Marissa’s lifelong love of clothing and accessories was nurtured from a young age, viewing fashion as wearable art. Before joining Bonhams, Marissa worked with the world’s largest consignment company The RealReal where she held an authentication, valuation, and sales position. Prior to this, she worked with leading vintage resource company Resurrection Vintage, sourcing, dating, and placing exquisite pieces from antique, ready-to-wear and couture, with the world’s most renowned fashion houses, museums, stylists, and celebrities.

Marissa will launch her role at Bonhams with her first online auction in August.

Marissa Speer, Bonhams Head of Sale for Handbags & Fashion, US commented: “I am thrilled to join Bonhams as a specialist at such a fortuitous time with increasing demand for luxury resale. Auctions are the perfect way to shop sustainably and can offer rarer designs or pieces with exquisite craftmanship and quality that are harder to find in modern-day equivalents. I look forward to sharing my passion for clothing and accessories with Bonhams clientele.”

The newly appointed role sees Bonhams Handbag & Fashion department expand to a wider global audience. First launched in London in 2020, the category holds more than 15 auctions a year with dedicated Bonhams experts represented in London, Paris, Hong Kong, and now the US, reaching clients in over 90 countries.