PARIS (AP) — Sketched out on an air illness bag, the primary Birkin purse — the prototype for trend’s must-have accent — bought for a staggering 8.6 million euros ($10.1 million), together with charges, on Thursday in Paris to turn out to be the second most beneficial trend merchandise ever bought at public sale.
The profitable bid of seven million euros drew gasps and applause from the viewers. The value crushed the earlier public sale document for a purse — $513,040 paid in 2021 for a Hermès White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28.
Now, the unique Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and trend icon that Hermès created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is in a brand new league of its personal. Just one trend merchandise has bought at public sale for extra: a pair of ruby purple slippers from “The Wizard of Oz”, which bought for $32.5 million in 2024, Sotheby’s stated.
Whistles within the public sale room
The Paris public sale room buzzed with anticipation because the sale received underway, with the auctioneer reminding the gang that the bag was “totally unique” and “the most famous bag of all time.”
The bidding began at 1 million euros however rapidly elevated, with phone bidders preventing it out on the finish. With Sotheby’s charges included, the entire worth for the profitable bidder from Japan was a cool 8.6 million euros, the public sale home stated.
Edward Berthelot by way of Getty Photos
From the beginning worth, bids rocketed previous 2 million euros, then 3 million, 4 million and 5 million, to astonished gasps. When the value jumped from 5.5 million to six million euros in a single swoop, there have been whistles and applause.
The ultimate bids have been 6.2 million euros, then 6.5 million, then 6.8 million earlier than the Japanese purchaser’s final profitable bid: 7 million euros.
Sotheby’s didn’t establish the customer. 9 collectors bidding by phone, on-line, and within the room competed within the 10-minute public sale battle, with the non-public collector from Japan beating a final remaining different bidder on the finish.
‘One of a kind’
Paris trend home Hermès completely commissioned the bag for the London-born Birkin in 1984 — branding it together with her initials J.B. on the entrance flap, under the lock — and delivered the completed one-of-a-kind bag to her the next 12 months, Sotheby’s stated. The following commercialized model of Birkin’s bag went on to turn out to be one of many world’s most unique luxurious gadgets, extravagantly priced and with a yearslong ready record.
The bag was born of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight within the Nineteen Eighties with the then-head of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin recounted in subsequent interviews that the pair received speaking after she spilled a few of her issues on the cabin ground.
Birkin requested Dumas why Hermès didn’t make an even bigger purse and sketched out on an airplane vomit bag the kind of hold-all that she would love. He then had an instance made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Hermès requested whether or not it may commercialize the bag in her identify.
REPORTERS ASSOCIES by way of Getty Photos
“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 Hermès as a practical accessory for Jane Birkin has become the most desirable bag in history,” stated Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s head of purses and trend.
The bag turned so well-known that Birkin as soon as mused earlier than her dying in 2023 at age 76 that her obituaries would seemingly “say, ‘Like the bag’ or something.”
“Well, it could be worse,” she added.
Peak of French stylish
Sotheby’s stated that seven design components on the handcrafted all-black leather-based prototype set it aside from Birkins that adopted.
It’s the one Birkin with a nonremovable shoulder strap — becoming for the busy life and practicality of the singer, actor, social activist and mom who was additionally identified for her romantic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg and their duets that included the steamy 1969 music “Je t’aime moi non plus” (“I Love You, Me Neither”).
Her bag additionally had a nail clipper hooked up, as a result of Birkin “was never one for long painted nails,” Sotheby’s stated.
The bag that Hermès handmade for her, developed off its current Haut A Courroies mannequin, additionally has gilded brass {hardware}, backside studs and different options that differ from business Birkins.
Birkin’s informal, breezy type within the Nineteen Sixties and early Seventies — lengthy hair with bangs, denims paired with white tops, knit minidresses and basket luggage — nonetheless epitomizes the peak of French stylish for a lot of girls around the globe.
‘More than just a bag’
When Birkin chatted to Hermès’ Dumas on the Paris-to-London flight about what her ultimate purse can be, she’d been within the behavior of carrying her issues round in a wicker basket, as a result of she felt purses within the Nineteen Eighties have been too small, Sotheby’s stated. She was touring together with her younger daughter, Charlotte, and complained that she couldn’t discover a bag appropriate for her wants as a mom, Hermès says.
Hermès later gifted her 4 different Birkin luggage. She stored the prototype for practically a decade, earlier than auctioning it for an AIDS charity in 1994. It was auctioned once more in 2000 and had since been in non-public palms.
The earlier proprietor, who recognized herself solely as Catherine B., instructed journalists on the public sale that the bag “has all the attributes of a star.”
“The price is the price of the Hermès story,” she stated.
Sotheby’s known as it “more than just a bag.”
“The Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon,” it stated. “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.”
John Leicester reported from Le Pecq.
