logo
Japanese firm wins auction for Hermes's original Birkin bag

Japanese firm wins auction for Hermes's original Birkin bag

The Mainichia day ago
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Japanese company won an auction in Paris for the original Birkin bag crafted by French brand Hermes for a record 1.47 billion yen ($10 million), the firm said Friday.
The black leather Birkin bag, named after and created for singer and actress Jane Birkin in the 1980s, has been sold to Valuence Japan Inc., a buyer and reseller of luxury items and jewelry. Sotheby's said the price for the iconic bag "set a new record for any handbag sold at auction."
Birkin, who died in 2023, owned the bag for 10 years before it was auctioned for charity. It has her initials "J.B." and still bears the marks of stickers she put on it, according to Sotheby's.
Valuence Japan described the bag as a "one of a kind" item, saying it has no plans to sell it but will preserve it for its cultural value.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average Chip Share Selloff Sends Nikkei Lower on ASML Revenue Warning
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average Chip Share Selloff Sends Nikkei Lower on ASML Revenue Warning

Yomiuri Shimbun

timean hour ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average Chip Share Selloff Sends Nikkei Lower on ASML Revenue Warning

TOKYO, July 17 (Reuters) – Japan's Nikkei share average edged lower on Thursday, pulled down by a selloff in chip-related shares after Dutch chip-making tool supplier ASML sounded a revenue warning. The tech-heavy Nikkei .N225 was down 0.3% at 39,544.62, as of 0214 GMT, with chip-sector heavyweights Tokyo Electron and Advantest being the two biggest drags in the index. The broader Topix .TOPX, by contrast, eked out a 0.1% gain. The Nikkei's biggest decliner in percentage terms was Seven & i Holdings 3382.T, which tumbled 7.8% after Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard its takeover bid for the operator of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain. Heavily weighted chip-making equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron 8035.T lost nearly 2% and smaller peer Lasertec 6920.T tumbled 5.4%, while chip-testing machinery maker Advantest 6857.T slid 1.8%. ASML warned on Wednesday that it may not achieve revenue growth in 2026 as chipmakers building factories in the U.S. await clarity on the potential impact of tariffs. For Japanese peers, 'quarterly orders are likely to fluctuate but, based on the 12-month moving average, orders have not yet entered a recovery phase, similar to ASML,' Jefferies analysts wrote in a research note. Orders for extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, a key component in chipmaking, have been 'stalled' since increasing 'sharply' in the first half of last year, although a recovery is likely in 2026, they said. Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC is set to release earnings at 0530 GMT, during Japanese market hours, an event that could potentially move the market. Of the Nikkei's 225 components, 115 fell versus 108 that rose, with two trading flat. The index had been buoyed by a weakening yen earlier in the week, but the currency was trading marginally stronger from 24 hours earlier after bouncing off a 3-1/2-month low overnight. A decline in crude oil prices weighed on energy shares, with the Topix oil and coal sub-index .IPETE.T falling 1.44% to be the worst performer among 33 industry groups. The mining sub-index .IMING.T, which includes oil explorers, lost 1.40%.

Japan exports drop for second month as auto shipments to US plummet
Japan exports drop for second month as auto shipments to US plummet

Nikkei Asia

time2 hours ago

  • Nikkei Asia

Japan exports drop for second month as auto shipments to US plummet

Trade Trade surplus shrinks by 31% in June, amid uncertainty over tariff negotiations Newly manufactured cars awaiting export are parked at a port in Yokohama, Japan, south of Tokyo. © Reuters GRACE LI TOKYO -- Japan's exports declined for the second consecutive month in June, as shipments to America, its biggest export destination, continued to fall as a result of the hefty tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump imposed on Japanese cars and other products. Overall outbound shipments edged down 0.5% year on year, according to data published by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday, missing a forecast of a 0.5% increase in a Reuters poll of economists. Those to the U.S. slipped further to a decline of 11.4% from May's 11.1% drop.

Trump Reiterates Threat to Impose Tariff on Japan

time2 hours ago

Trump Reiterates Threat to Impose Tariff on Japan

News from Japan Jul 17, 2025 11:06 (JST) Washington, July 16 (Jiji Press)--U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated his threat to impose a 25 pct tariff on Japanese goods on Aug. 1 for what he sees as Japan's reluctance to open its markets. Trump said in a letter sent to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last week that he will raise his planned reciprocal tariff on Japan to 25 pct from 24 pct, a rate announced in April. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, the president said his administration will "live by the letter with Japan." On Sunday, Trump indicated that Japan had made concessions in trade talks with the United States. Ishiba is expected to meet with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who plays a key role in Trump's trade negotiations with countries, in Japan later this week. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store