The Birkin bag of the fashion house Hermès is the most coveted handbag in the world. With appeal inside and outside of those in fashion, as time passes the Birkin’s significance, exclusivity, and prominence reaches new heights. The handbag has humble beginnings, made in the image of a chic, laid-back artist in the cinema and music scene, going onto become the world’s most expensive handbag with prices ranging from $8,500 to $500,000 for a single bag. The Birkin remains a prominent status symbol and the iconic piece that many have their eye on as a fashion statement or even a collectible investment option.
From celebrity style signatures and the collections of the handbag obsessed to media and culture of film and television, as well as magazines and music references, the bag has become the visual crème de la crème of Hermès’ offerings. A limited number of Birkins crafted each year, Hermès confines sales to top clients as roughly 200,000 remain in circulation, driving up the value of the coveted commodity. The Birkin has been available in a variety of styles with distinct sizes, colors, and skins over the years. Despite its widespread appeal unlike many iconic high-fashion handbags, the Birkin lacks apparent branding or emblems, creating a greater sense of fashion and value. At times, Hermès has responded to happenings of the fashion industry’s trends through the lens of their vision, and that allows for the Birkin to not only be a classic, everlasting piece but one that embraces culture and the clients.
Hermès, as a fashion house, holds a conquest spirit with values of ingenuity, craftsmanship, quality, integrity, and independence that go into each piece. The Birkin is the purest embodiment of Hermès’ spirit and lives up to the, “You dream it up, Hermès makes it happen” mantra from its origins. The bag is a namesake, not only capturing the spirit of Hermès, but also of the woman who inspired the creation of the world’s most valuable handbag: Jane Birkin, a former model turned actress, singer, and songwriter. The famous fashion muse was a style icon herself, known for her balanced sultry laid-back, tomboyish grace, and afterparty-chic wardrobe.
For perspective, Jane grew up in London during the height of the Carnaby Street mod scene and was thriving with conceptual and creative influences that would resonate with her. She was a part of the Swinging Sixties, in her youth she had a haute-hippie look and channeled trends in her modeling days. Jane continued working and honing her talents for the big screen, her popularity soared in the late ’60s, receiving her first credited role in the 1966 film ‘Kaleidoscope’ followed by an appearance in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up 1966 going on to become distinguished for her work and received her in first major film role as Penny Lane in the 1968 film.
In 1969 she moved to France landing a role in the film Slogan. This was the start of a year-long professional and personal connection with French musician, singer-songwriter, author, filmmaker, and actor Serge gainsbourg. Together they released their debut album Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg (1969). Jane was officially on the map with her debut album/films and noted for her looks, stating, “We quickly became part of the furniture in France […] On Saturday nights, I was on French television, lying on a piano in sequinned dresses, singing songs. In those days, you wore whatever you liked: Serge loved Yves Saint Laurent and the designer would make me going-out dresses.”
The turning point of her career as her prolific musical career began and style cemented her image on the creative scene where she would continue to act and sing. Her fashion married French exuberance and English idiosyncrasy, resulting in a matured take on her previous styling approaches that were rooted in living and passion over striving for a specific image as her relationship to beauty changed.
As time passed into the 70s, her style matured into a simplistic and chic take on her aesthetic with a bohemian edge remaining present by her unstudied nonchalance.
Jane’s sartorial legacy is one that holds influence to this day, giving her two fashion legacies. Her singular style is one often emulated and serves as inspiration on runway, in editorials, and the personal fashion of many. Her wardrobe includes pieces such as high waisted flared, denim, micro shorts, staple tee-shirts, mini dresses, blouses, capes and menswear-esque blazers, trousers, and overcoats. She had a particular fondness for crochet, beading, fringe, pattern play, but kept this either to make a statement or to a minimal piece for contrasting controlled, yet outlandish style moments. A balancing act is done in relation to the suit at the moment whether it be on stage performing or in her everyday life through dress.
A number of garments became synonymous, the most distinct remaining present throughout her style evolution in the 60s and 70s was her penchant for a wicker basket that she would sport running errands or as a diaper bag to on screen performances and black tie events. Jane expressed to Vogue Paris, “And then there is this famous Portuguese basket that I bought on a London market and that did not leave my side. If I was denied entry to Maxim’s because of my basket, I didn’t care. I had this assurance.”
The basket served as her everyday staple. When the British born icon of French “it-girl” chic was on a flight from Paris to London, coincidentally upgraded and seated beside Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. Upon attempting to place her wicker basket in the overhead compartment, the lid and lack of functionality in the piece led to the contents of her bag falling and spilling. With objects scattered, Dumas assisted Jane in collecting her things and she expressed to him that there were no bags well suited to her, seeing it as impossible to “find an elegant large handbag.” The two would spend the rest of the flight discussing and sketching on the back of an airplane sick bag. From this encounter, the Birkin 40 in calf box leather came to be. A year later, Dumas revealed the Birkin Bag to Jane.
The bag retained the simplicity of the wicker basket, rather than simply rounded it comes in a simple rectangular shape- retaining the minimal essence with maximalist function out of the geometry that catered to her fast-paced lifestyle as a mother and artist. The design was rooted in practicality: a flap top, clou or “feet”, two rolled handles mirroring her previous, and a lock closure to finish it off.
. Design-wise, the Birkin was intended to be an everyday bag that could store all of your necessities for any moment the day or night would bring to be worn on the crook of the arm in a similar manner to Jane’s basket. For perspective, the Kelly bag features only one top handle and a shoulder strap which allows for a more polished look and a sophisticated touch to an ensemble whereas the Birkin is much more chic and brings a laissez-faire essence to a look while remaining elegant.
The line of Birkins would go on to launch in 1984, each bag crafted by expert artisans who perfect the handbags and create the one-of-a-kind design through the signature saddle stitching of Hermès that was developed in the 1800s. A single bag necessitates 48 hours of work from each artisan to create, marked with a code of identification for the year of formation, workshop, and the maker. The cost varies depending on the year made, and the type of leather, hardware, and jewelry that embellishes the bag. With the artificial scarcity and exclusivity around the bag, there is a waitlist of up to 6 years.
“The Hermès Bag is the best example of a heritage piece as it contains an emotional value, and this is why it is so loved,” says Sophie Hersan, co-founder of Vestiaire Collective. “These bags are treated with care and have durability, as people attach emotional value to the story behind how they obtained their Hermès bag.”
Over time, the piece grew to be a highly symbolic status piece. Many variations in terms of design featuring sophisticated, chic, clean designs to eccentric, daring, and spirited ones carrying Jane Birkin’s spirit.
Jane herself is noted to only own one Birkin bag that she customized with beads, trinkets, protest stickers and badges to ground the piece as its social status in media and culture grew.
According to a 2017 survey, the value of Hermès Birkin bags has climbed by 500 percent in the last 35 years, or 14% each year. It sold for $500,000 USD in 2019, it shattered the record for the world’s most expensive purse. The bag of humble beginnings has transformed into a work of art, a collectible investment option, and the most highly coveted fashion statement or status symbol. The piece still sustains Jane’s stylish spirit and holds the heart of heritage that Hermès uniquely offers.
SOURCES: Why Hermès Birkin bags are so expensive, according to a handbag expert- https://www.businessinsider.com/herme… Jane Birkin On Chasing Beauty: ‘I Used To Sleep With An Eye Pencil Under My Pillow’- https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/a34459… The basket on Plane- https://www.bonjourcoco.com/about-us…. The Other Birkin Bag: Jane Birkin And The Wicker Basket- https://www.westfultonstreet.com/2017…
