Why Hermes' iconic bag was named after Jane Birkin
The story of the Birkin bag began on a flight from Paris to London in 1984 where both Jane Birkin and Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas were on board.
Jane Birkin, the British-French actress and singer who inspired the iconic Hermes Birkin bag, died in Paris on July 16 (Sunday). She was 76.
Known for her effortless French-chic style, she was a significant figure in the European film industry during the 1960s and 70s. She was also known for her decade-long musical and romantic relationship with Serge Gainsbourg. Despite her success in the film and music industry, Birkin is perhaps best known for inspiring the creation of one of the world's most coveted luxury handbags - the Hermes Birkin bag.
Jane Birkin and Hermes Birkin story
The story of the Birkin bag began on a flight from Paris to London in 1984. Birkin found herself seated next to Hermes CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. After the contents of her straw basket fell to the floor, she explained to Dumas her difficulty in finding a suitable leather bag. This conversation led Dumas to create a black supple leather bag for her, which later became known as the Birkin bag. Over the years, the Birkin bag has become a symbol of wealth and exclusivity, with prices ranging from USD 10,000 (approx Rs 8,20,775) to USD 450,000 (Rs 3,69,29,025).
The popularity
Despite its humble beginnings, the Birkin bag did not immediately gain popularity. It was not until the 1990s that the bag inspired by Jane Birkin became the "It Bag". The bag was soaring in popularity and had become an established status symbol by the turn of the century. Its popularity skyrocketed in August 2001 when an episode of Sex and the City featured Samantha's quest to get her hands on the elusive bag, including being placed on a five-year wait list. This moment in popular culture catapulted the Birkin bag into an even brighter spotlight, where it remains to this day.
An investment piece
The Birkin bag is not just a symbol of luxury, but also an investment. The rarity of the Birkin, along with annual price hikes, means the bags naturally increase in value if bought with a long-term view in mind. At the start of 2023, there was an 8-10 per cent increase across Birkin styles.
The Birkin bag's popularity extends beyond Europe, reaching even the Indian film industry -Bollywood. Several actresses, including Shilpa Shetty and Kareena Kapoor Khan, are known to own multiple Hermes Birkin bags, further cementing the bag's status as a luxury accessory.
A Birkin bag takes expert artisans a minimum of 18 hours to create and is marked with a code that identifies its year of creation, the workshop it was crafted in and the artisan who made it. To buy a Birkin directly from Hermes, customers are expected to have a purchase history with the brand.
Born in London in December 1946, Birkin moved to France in the late 1960s, where she became an international star. Her acting career spanned several decades, with notable roles in films such as Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966) and Slogan (1969). In 1969, she and Gainsbourg released the infamous duet Je t'aime... moi non plus ("I love you ... me neither") which caused a scandal for explicitness and was banned by radio stations in Italy.