Latest news with #Herms
Business Insider
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
The OG Birkin bag sells for a record-breaking $10 million at auction
Bidders battled for 10 minutes on Thursday for the original Birkin worn by its muse, Jane Birkin. It ended in a $10.1 million sale to a private collector in Japan who bid via telephone. In a video of the live auction, gasps can be heard as the war waged on. "The spectacular sale of the Original Herms Birkin today at Sotheby's Paris marks an important milestone in the history of fashion and the luxury industry more widely," Morgane Halimi, global head of handbags and fashion at Sotheby's, said in a statement. The Birkin, a highly coveted status symbol among the wealthy, was inspired by the late singer-actor after a conversation with Jean-Louis Dumas — who was chairman of Herms at the time — on an airplane in 1981, Jane told Vogue in 2012. She drew the design on an airplane sickness bag and eventually went on to carry the prototype for nearly a decade. It last went up for auction 25 years ago, Sotheby's said. This time around, bidding opened at $1.7 million. It "made me relive my own bidding battle, 25 years ago, and how raw and indescribable the feeling of winning over this wonderful bag was," the bag's previous owner, Catherine B., said in a statement released by Sotheby's. The Birkin bag is a staple for Herms. It starts at around $10,000 and has a long, unofficial vetting process to purchase.
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Business Standard
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
Jane Birkin's original Hermes bag sells at auction for 7 million euros
Sketched out on an air sickness bag, the first Birkin bag that gave birth to fashion's must-have accessory sold for a record 7 million euros (about $8.2 million) at auction in Paris on Thursday. The huge amount which drew gasps and applause from the audience crushed what auctioneer Sotheby's had said was the previous record for a handbag. That was $513,040, for a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28. Now, the original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Herms created it for the late Jane Birkin is in a new league of its own. The bidding started at 1 million euros ($1.17 million) and quickly became stratospheric. The Paris fashion house exclusively commissioned the bag for the London-born star in 1984 branding it with her initials J.B. on the front flap, below the lock and delivered the finished one-of-a-kind bag to her the following year, the auction house said. The subsequent commercialized version of Birkin's bag went on to become one of the world's most exclusive luxury items, extravagantly priced and with a yearslong waiting list. A fashion accessory born of a chance conversation The bag was born of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s with the then head of Herms, 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 Herms didn't make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit bag the sort of hold-all that she would like. He then had an example made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Herms asked whether it could commercialise the bag in 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 Herms 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 mused before her death in 2023 at age 76 that her obituaries would likely say, Like the bag' or something. Well, it could be worse," she added. Seven design features set The Original apart Sotheby's said that seven design elements on the handcrafted all-black leather prototype set it apart from Birkins that followed. It's the only Birkin with a nonremovable shoulder strap fitting for the busy life and practicality of the singer, actor, social activist and mother who was also known for her romantic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg and their duets that included the steamy 1969 song Je t'aime moi non plus (I Love You, Me Neither). Her bag also had a nail clipper attached, because Birkin was never one for long painted nails, Sotheby's said. The bag that Herms handmade for her, developed off its existing Haut A Courroies model, also has gilded brass hardware, bottom studs and other features that differ from commercial Birkins. Birkin's casual, breezy style in the 1960s and early 1970s long hair with bangs, jeans paired with white tops, knit minidresses and basket bags still epitomises the height of French chic for many women around the world. The prototype has twice changed hands When Birkin chatted to Herms' Dumas on the Paris-to-London flight about what her ideal handbag would be, she'd been in the habit of carrying her things around in a wicker basket, because she felt handbags in the 1980s were too small, Sotheby's said. She was travelling with her young daughter, Charlotte, and complained that she couldn't find a bag suitable for her needs as a mother, Herms says. Herms later gifted her four other Birkin bags. She kept the prototype for nearly a decade, before auctioning it for an AIDS charity in 1994. It was auctioned again in 2000 and has since been in private hands, Sotheby's said. More than just a bag, the Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon," the auction house said. Its presence spans the worlds of music, film, television and the arts," it added. "It is a red-carpet staple, a fashion magazine mainstay, and a coveted piece in the wardrobes of celebrities, artists and stylists.
India Today
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Not just a bag, it is the OG Birkin (made for Jane Birkin) going on sale
The first ever Hermes Birkin bag - yes, the one crafted specifically for British-French actress and singer Jane Birkin - is set to be auctioned in Paris on July is the bag from where it all began. The first prototype, made for the late British actress Jane Birkin, will be sold at the Auction House Sotheby's during the Paris Couture Week. There is no starting bid price available publicly, as yet. However, interested bidders have to register on the official website and then might get an estimated price only 'upon request.'advertisementHailed as the world's most coveted 'it' handbag, the Birkin is not just another designer accessory. Made by the French luxury house Herms, it is a symbol of status, craftsmanship and also investment value. Even those with money to afford it wait for years to own it. Of course, it's also known to test your patience (iykyk). The Birkin bag will be put for exhibition before the final bid in Paris (Photo: Instagram/Sotheby's) For a bag that can only be availed with premium exclusivity, for it to go on sale could make records. 'The original Birkin holds the potential to redefine records,' Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's global handbag and fashion head, said in a it on view during The Luxury Sales at #SothebysNewYork from 6 - 12 June in a free, public exhibition," reads the caption of the acution house Instagram where it all beganThe origin story of the Hermes Birkin bag stems from a simple, everyday problem—finding a handbag spacious enough to hold 1984, during a flight from Paris to London, actress Jane Birkin was seated next to Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. After a few of her belongings spilled from her bag, a conversation sparked between the two. Birkin shared her frustration - as a mother - about not being able to find a bag that was both practical and stylish. Inspired by this exchange, Dumas sketched a design on an airplane sick bag, and the rest, we all know, is history. Jane Birkin with her birkin bag (Photo: Getty Photo ) This bag hasn't always been this hyped. It wasn't until the 1990s that it gained the exclusivity and demand it holds hard to getThe rarity and exclusivity that brand created for this bag is one of the reasons that build onto the hype. It is hard to get and not just because of the money but due to its exclusive availability as well. For once, money might just buy happiness, but not the Hermes trend suddenly took off after it was featured in an episode of Sex and the City, when Samantha Jones tried to get her hands on the luxury bag, only to be placed on a 5-year waitlist. The iconic line, 'It's not a bag. It's a Birkin,' became a pop culture bag is made with precision saddle stitching and may take about 18 - 40 hours to create. Then, each bag has a code that documents the year of making, the workshop where it was made and about the artisan who crafted it too. Victoria Beckham flaunting her Birkin Bag in hot pink. (Photo: Reuters) The cost of bags may vary depending on the size, material and other factors. The price range can be from USD 10,000, approx Rs 8,57,279, to USD 450,000, approx Rs 3,85,77, recently, this exclusivity got Hermes into a lawsuit. As per a Reuters report, a lawsuit was filed last year against the brand. "Hermes only gives customers with 'sufficient purchase history' a chance to buy a Birkin bag, which is handmade and can cost thousands of dollars," Reuters just a bag, it's an investmentGetting your hands on one might be a daunting task. While there are no 'official' wait lists, it is recommended to visit a store to buy needs to make a proper appointment, identify the right piece for themselves, and then wait depending on availability. This is where social skills to establish a rapport with the salesperson might just come into elusive luxury bag is dubbed a better investment than gold. Deloitte and Credit Suisse reported that Hermes Birkin bags had an average return of 38 percent in 2020. The resale value of a Birkin in pristine condition has significantly outpaced in IndiaSeveral fashion enthusiasts in India, like Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Janhvi Kapoor abed Shilpa Shetty, often flaunt their Birkin bags. Birkin bag spotted in India! (Photo: Instagram/Kareena Kapoor, Twitter, Instagram screengrab) advertisementAnd when it comes to luxury fashion, trust Nita Ambani to never be far behind. She proudly owns a Neige Snow Faubourg Birkin - just another addition to her unmatched bag collection.
