Originally outlined on the first birkin bag that was born with fashion essentials, the birkin bag was sold at a record 7 million euros (about $11.2 million in CDN).
A large number of people – which attracted the breath and applause of the audience – shattered what auctioneer Sotheby’s said was the previous handbag record. That’s $513,040 for the white Himalayan cattle Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28.
Now, the original Birkin bag (named after the late Jane Birkin, the actor, singer and fashion icon created by Hermès, is his new alliance.
Bidding starts at 1 million euros ($1.6 million in CDN) and is quickly underway.
The auction house said the Paris Fashion House specially commissioned the London-born star’s luggage commission, her abbreviation JB branded the abbreviation JB on the front flap below the lock and delivered to her the finished, a one-of-a-kind bag the following year.
The subsequent commercialized version of the Birkin bag continues to be one of the world’s most unique luxury items, with prices pending and years-long waiting lists.
Fashion accessories were born in accidental conversation
The bag was a chance encounter in London in the 1980s, when Hermès and Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin said in a subsequent interview that the two began to talk after sprinkling something on the cabin floor.
Birkin asked Dumas why Hermès didn’t make a bigger handbag and outlined everything she wanted on the airplane vomit bag. He then set an example for her, and she was flattered, and she agreed to Hermas ask if she could commercialize the bags with her name.
“There is no doubt that the original Birkin bag is a true one-of-a-kind — a singular piece of fashion history that has grown into a pop culture phenomenon that signals luxury in the most refined way possible. It is incredible to think that a bag initially designed by Hermès as a practical accessory for Jane Birkin has become the most desirable bag in history,” said Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s head of handbags and fashion.
The bag became so famous that Birkin once pondered that before her death in 2023 at the age of 76, her obedience might have “sayed ‘like the bag’ or something.”
She added: “Okay, it might be worse.”
7 design functions set original
Sotheby’s said seven design elements on the handmade all-black leather prototype distinguished it from the subsequent Berkins.
It is the only Birkin who is immovable shoulder strap – suitable for the busy life and practicality of singers, actors, social activists and mothers, who is also known for his romantic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg and his duets, including Steamy Standy’s 1969 song je t’aime … moi non plus ((I love you…I don’t).
Sotheby’s said her schoolbag also had a nail scissor attached because Birkin “never had a long nail painted.”
Hermès developed the existing Haut A Courroies model for her handmade bags, as well as gold-plated brass hardware, bottom studs and other features that differ from commercial Birkins.
Birkin’s casual style in the 1960s and early 70s – long hair with bangs, jeans, jeans with white tops, small knit mini pairings and basket bags – still manifests itself as the French chic height of many women in the world.
Singer Jane Birkin wants her name to be taken from Hermes’s bag
Prototype changed hands twice
Sotheby’s said when Birkin chatted with Dumas of Hermès during a flight from Paris to London, what was her ideal handbag, she was used to carrying her own stuff in a wicker basket because she felt the 1980s handbag was too small. Hermes said she traveled with her youngest daughter Charlotte and complained that she couldn’t find the bag that suits her mother’s needs.
Hermes later gave her four other Birthday bags. Sotheby said she kept the prototype for nearly a decade and then auctioned it for AIDS charity in 1994. It was auctioned again in 2000 and has been in private hands since then.
“It’s not just a bag, but Birkin has evolved from practical accessories to become an eternal cultural idol,” the auction house said.
“Its existence covers the world of music, film, television and art,” it adds. “It’s a red land staple, a midstream station for a fashion magazine, a coveted piece in the closets of celebrities, artists and designers.”
