Some say you can't put a price on the right fashion and style accessories but the record books from auction houses tell a different story.
The original Birkin bag, named after Jane Birkin, the late actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermès created it for, has sold for more €8.6 million to become the second most valuable fashion item ever sold.
Made for the London-born star by the Paris fashion house in 1984, the commercialized version of Birkin's bag went on to become one of the world’s most exclusive luxury items, with its extravagant price tag and years-long waiting list.
Only one fashion item has fetched more at auction - a pair of ruby red slippers from 'The Wizard of Oz' which sold for €30 million last year.
Serendipity strikes
The bag was the result of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s with the then head of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas.
Birkin recounted in subsequent interviews that the pair got talking after she spilled some of her things on the cabin floor.
Birkin asked Dumas why Hermès didn’t make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit sack the sort of bag that she would like.
He then had an example made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Hermès asked whether it could commercialize the bag in her name.
The bag became so famous that Birkin once mused before her death in 2023 at age 76 that obituaries for her would likely "say, ‘Like the bag’ or something,’” adding: “Well, it could be worse.”
One of a kind
Sotheby’s said that the all-black leather prototype was handcrafted for Birkin.
It described it as a “legendary handbag" and "one of the most iconic fashion items ever created.”
The bag has seven unique design elements that set it apart from every Birkin that followed, the auction house said.
It's the only Birkin with a non-removable shoulder strap. Her bag also had a nail clipper attached because Birkin "was never one for long painted nails," Sotheby's said.
“More than just a bag, the Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon. Its presence spans the worlds of music, film, television and the arts; it is a red-carpet staple, a fashion magazine mainstay, and a coveted piece in the wardrobes of celebrities, artists and stylists,” it said.
