December 26, 2024, 3:58 pm | Read time: 7 minutes
It’s not a bag; it’s a Birkin: for wealthy French women, the Birkin bag has long been part of good taste. Here in Germany, too, the Hermès brand bag is an exquisite symbol of status. To get your hands on the butter-soft leather bag, you have to wait on a waiting list for years. STYLEBOOK has summarized everything about the coveted bag, which is celebrating a milestone birthday this year.
The origin story of the Birkin Bag is as captivating as it is genuine. 1983 was not only the year in which “99 Luftballons” by Nena was released, but also the year in which two special people met on a flight and designed a bag together. It debuted in 1984 and has been highly sought after ever since.
Overview
The Idea Behind the Birkin Bag
The concept for what is now the world’s most coveted bag didn’t emerge from weeks of brainstorming and endless discussions. The story of its creation began by chance on an airplane in 1983 when the English-French singer and actress Jane Birkin received an upgrade on a flight from Paris to London. She was seated next to Jean-Louis Dumas, the head of Hermès at the time. As always, she carried a fully packed basket bag, the contents of which stood out prominently.
Dumas and Birkin struck up a conversation. She told him that it would be impossible for her to find a leather bag that offered enough space for a weekend and was still aesthetically pleasing. Birkin asked Dumas: “Why don’t you create a bag that’s bigger than the Kelly bag but smaller than Serge’s suitcase?” On this flight, which lasted less than 1.5 hours, they sketched the perfect bag together – on a napkin. The Birkin Bag was born.
When Jane Birkin then visited the Hermès atelier to admire the result of their joint creation, Dumas gave her a finished bag—a kind of quid pro quo for the bag being named after her. The Birkin Bag, then in black leather, came onto the market in 1984. A story that needs to be told, as there are now countless sizes and colors and plenty of enthusiastic owners.
The Birkin Bag Stands for Wearable Exclusivity
Today, the Birkin bag is a kind of calling card for the Hermès brand. Purchasing a Birkin Bag is considered an investment. And many women are prepared to do so. The Birkin Bag is often not the first designer bag one acquires. However, it is frequently one of the last, with the potential to be passed down as a family heirloom. The older the model, the more valuable. With a purchase price starting at EUR 5,000 for the smallest size, including a waiting period of several years, it is one of the most expensive and exclusive bags in the world. Countless individuals save for years to acquire a Birkin Bag. Often, even those who, strictly speaking, are never interested in designer fashion in their closets. But what accounts for the allure of such a high-priced bag?
What makes a Birkin so special is its simple, elegant, and timeless design, which is underpinned by perfection in detail. It is spacious, made of butter-soft leather, and has the typical Hermès saddle stitching and a closable flap. The twist lock is double-secured with a lock and matching key. There is a zipped compartment inside the bag. With these exquisite details, the bag captivates with its understated elegance. Unlike Louis Vuitton or Gucci models, there are no bold logos or patterns on the Birkin – just pure elegance.
How Do You Get a Birkin Bag?
Despite – or perhaps because of – the high price, it is not so easy to get hold of a model. The likelihood of getting hold of a Birkin bag in a Hermès store in Paris is definitely greater than in Germany. Here, you may find yourself on waiting lists that span several years. Platforms such as Vestiaire Collective are an alternative way to get hold of a Birkin bag. You can also find previously owned Birkin bags there. These are not only slightly cheaper but also often more desirable due to their age or history. The older, rarer models of the bag, which can no longer be found in stores, can quickly rise in price.
How Does Such a Long Waiting Time Come About?
It takes around 20 hours to make a Birkin bag. A maximum of two Birkin Bags can be produced per week. Only the finest leather is used for production. The individual pieces require the same leather structure and coloring, and each piece is made by hand. Even the seams, which are made by machine, have the last three stitches sewn by hand – especially in areas that are prone to wear and tear. That’s why the Birkin Bag doesn’t need advertising; it just needs wearers who appreciate it.
Bag Sisters: What Distinguishes the Birkin Bag from the Kelly?
The Kelly Bag, named after Grace Kelly, may look similar to the Birkin at first glance, but on closer inspection, there are obvious differences between the two models: The Birkin Bag has two handles, whereas the Kelly only has one. The Kelly bag also has a detachable shoulder strap and a more trapezoidal shape.
But Who Exactly is Jane Birkin?
In order to describe the Birkin Bag, we must also talk about its namesake, Jane Birkin. The British-French singer and actress Jane Birkin died in Paris in July 2023 at the age of 76. This was reported by several French media outlets. Her career experienced both remarkable triumphs and notable challenges.
She celebrated her international breakthrough in 1966 in the role of a nude photo model in Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow Up. She later became Serge Gainsbourg’s muse, with whom she stirred up French society, which was rather staid at the time. Long considered an ultimate sex symbol, she was sometimes likened to Brigitte Bardot for her captivating allure. She made over 50 films between 1965 and 2016. During the 70s, she released several albums. She was revered as an iconic figure in pop culture.
Birkin’s eventful but seemingly happy life was overshadowed by a terrible stroke of fate in 2013: Her daughter Kate Berry died at the age of just 46 – after falling through a window. At the time, Birkin told Stern magazine that she “didn’t want to get over” her daughter’s death. In interviews, she shares that discussing the loss of her child with composer John Berry inevitably brings her to tears. However, singing about her daughter, as in the heartfelt song “Cigarettes,” offers her solace as it feels less painful.
She frequently discussed the benefits of aging, as reflected in her interview with Harper’s Bazaar. She believed that a woman’s forties are the prime of her life. Birkin also opined that life improves post-forties, suggesting that “At 50, one might be a bit wiser”.
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Jane Birkin Writes a Public Letter to Hermès
In 2015, Birkin wrote a public letter to the fashion house Hermès. Her request was clear: to have her name removed from the bag. She demanded that the company withdraw the Birkin Croco (made from crocodile leather) from circulation until better manufacturing practices were in place. She was referring to the appalling methods used to obtain the skins for the bags.
Hermès itself seemed taken aback and uninformed when the production practices were exposed in a video by the animal rights organization Peta. Shortly afterward, the luxury house announced that the measures had been changed and that Birkin was also happy with the changes. As a result, the name of the bag, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2024, was never changed.