Jane Birkin's original Hermès Birkin sold for a whopping $10 million

An emblem of exclusivity and ingenuity, the Birkin was born in 1984 from a serendipitous encounter between Jane Birkin and Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. As the story goes, Jane bumps into Dumas on a flight, her luggage spills around owing to her small bags, she complains about the lack of a handbag that fits her needs. Later, Dumas listens and asked her to sketch, which she obliged, on a vomit bag no less, and together, they shaped a prototype, that they probably didn't realise at the time would be the birth of a new icon.

While a Birkin is a coveted piece of luxury fashion, the handbag is an icon that not only started its cultural legacy but also carries the personal lineage of Jane Birkin—the woman responsible for its appellation and innovation.

The legacy of the handbag has transcended time, space and hands from even before Jane Birkin's fateful death in 2023 at the age of 76. But Sotheby's, the British broker of collectables announced that the auction of the original Birkin in Paris on July 10 would allow enthusiasts of art and fashion the opportunity to own this legacy piece. After a tense bidding between nine collectors, with the bidding bar pushed higher and the gasps getting louder, the hammer fell at a whopping $10 million. The world record of the auction of this handbag beat out more opulent iterations, and was sold to a private collector from Japan, as quoted by Sotheby's. 

Jane herself sold the bag in 1994 to raise funds for an AIDS charity. It was later auctioned in 2000 to Catherine B., a notable Parisian collector, who now brings it to Sotheby’s. The bag was carried around by Jane for nearly a decade, serving as a canvas for advocacy, with her protest pins and the unmistakable cadence of her personal style. While Hermès’ most expensive Kelly bag to date — a Diamond Himalaya Birkin — sold for $510,000 at Christie’s in 2021, this Birkin represents something even more intimate.

Boasting an amalgamation of practicality and elegance, this first Birkin featured seven distinctive design elements that were never again replicated together in any subsequent Birkin model, namely — the shoulder strap, custom dimensions (the width and height of a Birkin 35, but the depth of a Birkin 40), gilded brass hardware, closed metal rings, resembling the pontets found on the Hermès sac Haut à Courroies (HAC) that now remain open at the top, button studs, inner zips and ofcourse the stamped initials of “J.B.” Presented in the condition it was last carried in, the bag carries authenticity as well as its provenance. 

Birkins were quick to traverse the realm of fashion and become an object of investment — propelled by their limited production and unparalleled market allure. While the resale of Birkins is hardly uncommon, this particular one makes the case even more enticing, owing to its unique footprint. The average cost of a brand new Birkin stands at $32,000, whereas the standard resale value lies at $13,000, not devoid of the mystery of their unending waitlist and purchasing criteria  With Hermès not flooding the market, its scarcity generates its soaring value, rendering no apprehensions in spending a large chunk of money, with its symbolic value making up for the wears and tears.

Though no official estimate has been released for this historic piece, a black leather Birkin with gold hardware is currently valued at approximately $14,360, according to the Truss Archive. Amidst the churn of budding buyers, two prospective buyers have been gaining momentum — Kim Kardashian and Hermès itself. While the former icon has a history of acquiring celebrity items such as Princess Diana’s amethyst necklace, the latter fashion house may want to enrich its extensive archive, consolidating control of the market narrative. 

Edited by Sabrina Mathews