This Hermès bag, designed by Jane Birkin, is undoubtedly the most famous in the world.
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In Sem categoria Posted July 03, 2024
In 1984, Jane Birkin and Jean-Louis Dumas, president of Hermès at the time, met by chance on the same flight from Paris to London. Little did they know that together they were writing the history of an icon.
The story of the Birkin bag by Hermès
As Jane Birkin’s belongings fell from her bag onto the floor, Jean-Louis Dumas advised her: “You should have one with pockets”, to which she retorted with her usual panache: “What do you want, Hermès doesn’t make pockets”. He then confided in her his status: “But I am Hermès”. The young mother who had just given birth to Charlotte Gainsbourg seized the opportunity and asked him why the leather goods manufacturer couldn’t imagine a bag four times bigger than the Kelly but smaller than Serge Gainsbourg’s emblematic suitcase.
Jane Birkin sketched an improvised prototype on a paper bag. The first lines of the Birkin bag and the idea itself were born. This glimpse was followed by a number of meetings that gave birth to a piece that fulfilled all the star’s expectations. Jean-Louis Dumas asked her to give the bag its name. Initially made in supple black leather, over the years the accessory came in different sizes, materials and colours. And all its variants have met with the same success. During the Hermès autumn-winter 2021-2013 fashion show, the artist told US Vogue: “Now, when I go to sing in America, they say Birkini? Like the bag? I say, ‘Yes, indeed, and now the bag will sing’.
This is the most coveted object in leather goods. It is the ultimate safe investment. Not just because of its reputation, but also because of its expertise. Each piece is uniquely designed by hand by the same craftsman, who puts his signature on it. So you need to be patient to get your hands on a Birkin bag. The scene from the cult series Sex and The City is a reality. Remember: while Samantha was admiring a Birkin, the sales assistant at the Hermès boutique told her that she would have to wait at least five years on the waiting list to get it. She exclaimed: “For a bag?”, to which the sales assistant replied: “It’s not a bag, it’s a Birkin”.
