Kyu Kyu Hla, wife of Myanmar coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, is known for her lavish tastes, particularly when it comes to luxury handbags. The exact number in her collection remains unknown, but she has been spotted with 15 totes from several ultraluxury brands, valued at a staggering US$ 275,000 – or over 1 billion kyats.
That figure was calculated based on the retail prices of standout handbags Kyu Kyu Hla has been seen carrying in media photographs and videos.
A taste for the finest
Kyu Kyu Hla has been spotted flaunting a variety of world-renowned designer handbags, wristwatches, and outfits ever since her husband assumed the role of Myanmar military chief in 2011.
Her handbag collection features iconic brands like Hermes, Prada, Louis Vuitton (LV), and Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in various designs and colors.
Topping the list is a black Hermes tote crafted from authentic crocodile skin and adorned with real gold, valued at $77,500 – or over 310 million kyats. Kyu Kyu Hla was spotted with this exquisite piece on February 8 last year during a visit to the Two Dragons Monastery in Tachileik, Shan State.
Her lavish fashion statements in the face of Buddhist modesty extended to a blue Hermes handbag worth $34,200 (120 million kyats). She chose to carry this bag – made from the finest Togo leather and embellished with real gold – at a ceremony to donate robes to monks at Lawkananda Pagoda in Sittwe, Rakhine State, on November 7, 2023.
Collection expanding post-coup
Observers note that Kyu Kyu Hla’s penchant for Hermes bags has grown considerably since her husband staged the 2021 coup to oust the elected NLD government.
In media appearances since the military takeover, she has showcased eight different Hermes bags, with the cheapest among them valued at $4,999 (around 20 million kyats). This particular piece was seen dangling from her arm last year on March 17, during a ceremony to consecrate the Kyaik Pinnyaya Pagoda in Bago.
However, she refuses to confine her displays of opulence to a single luxury brand. On October 2 last year, she attended a Myanmar Police Force Day dinner in Naypyitaw accessorized with a YSL handbag worth $2,100.
Before the coup, Kyu Kyu Hla showed a preference for Louis Vuitton totes. For the high-profile funeral service of controversial monk Myaing Gyi Ngu Sayadaw in Karen State on October 20, 2018, she chose an LV Vendome MM, valued at $5,650.
A year earlier, during a July 9 trip to India with her husband, Kyu Kyu Hla was photographed carrying a bag from the Louis Vuitton Masters Collection by Jeff Koons. Advocacy group Justice for Myanmar highlighted that the bag’s $3,000 price tag was equivalent to two to three times the annual income of many people in Myanmar.
In July 2021, the United States government sanctioned the first lady in response to her husband’s putsch.
From humble beginnings to lavish displays
Born and raised in the small village of Zee Kyun in Rakhine State, the story of Kyu Kyu Hla’s journey to opulent wealth is intriguing. The ethnic Rakhine woman attended the University of Yangon to study Burmese literature and went on to become a Burmese instructor at the same institution.
Min Aung Hlaing first encountered her during his single year as a law student at the University of Yangon before he joined the Defense Services Academy. Kyu Kyu Hla was the older of the two and commanded respect from her future husband right from the start, according to sources close to the couple.
High-ranking Myanmar military defectors state that Kyu Kyu Hla harbors personal animosity toward Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, envying her reputation and popularity.
The democracy icon has been imprisoned in Naypyitaw since she was arrested, along with other NLD leaders, on the first day of the coup.
Observers have linked Kyu Kyu Hla’s dazzling displays of wealth to the booming business empires of her two adult children.
Since Min Aung Hlaing became military chief, Aung Pyae Sone and Khin Thiri Thet Mon have emerged as top cronies, controlling businesses in Myanmar’s most lucrative sectors, ranging from telecoms, energy, and construction to pharmaceutical imports, weapons factories, aircraft parts procurement, and film production.
Observers suggest that much of Kyu Kyu Hla’s collection of luxury accessories was gifted by business cronies seeking favor with her influential children and their powerful father.
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