Jane Birkin's original Hermès bag sells at auction for 7 million euros

Initially sketched retired connected an aerial sickness bag, the archetypal Birkin bag, which gave commencement to fashion's must-have accessory, sold for a grounds 7 cardinal euros (about $11.2 cardinal Cdn) astatine auction successful Paris connected Thursday.

The immense magnitude — which drew gasps and applause from the assemblage — crushed what auctioneer Sotheby's had said was the erstwhile grounds for a handbag. That was $513,040, for a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28.

Now, the archetypal Birkin container — named aft the precocious Jane Birkin, the actor, vocalist and manner icon that Hermès created it for — is successful a caller league of its own.

The bidding started astatine 1 cardinal euros ($1.6 million Cdn) and rapidly went stratospheric.

The Paris manner location exclusively commissioned the container for the London-born prima successful 1984 — branding it with her initials J.B. connected the beforehand flap, beneath the fastener — and delivered the finished, one-of-a-kind container to her the pursuing year, the auction location said.

The consequent commercialized mentation of Birkin's container went connected to go 1 of the world's most exclusive luxury items, extravagantly priced and with a yearslong waiting list.

Fashion accessory calved of a accidental conversation

The container was calved of a fortuitous brushwood connected a London-bound formation successful the 1980s with then-head of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin recounted successful consequent interviews that the brace got talking aft she spilled immoderate of her things connected the compartment floor.

Birkin asked Dumas wherefore Hermès didn't marque a bigger handbag, and sketched retired connected an airplane vomit container the benignant of hold-all that she would like. He past had an illustration made for her and, flattered, she agreed erstwhile Hermès asked whether it could commercialize the container successful her name.

"There is nary uncertainty that the archetypal Birkin container is simply a existent one-of-a-kind — a singular portion of manner past that has grown into a popular civilization improvement that signals luxury successful the astir refined mode possible. It is unthinkable to deliberation that a container initially designed by Hermès arsenic a applicable accessory for Jane Birkin has go the astir desirable container successful history," said Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's caput of handbags and fashion.

The container became truthful celebrated that Birkin once mused, before her decease successful 2023 astatine property 76, that her obituaries would apt "say, 'Like the bag' oregon something."

"Well, it could beryllium worse," she added.

7 plan features acceptable archetypal apart

Sotheby's said that 7 plan elements connected the handcrafted, all-black leather prototype acceptable it isolated from Birkins that followed.

It's the lone Birkin with a non-removable enarthrosis strap — fitting for the engaged beingness and practicality of the singer, actor, societal activistic and parent who was besides known for her romanticist narration with French vocalist Serge Gainsbourg and their duets, which included the steamy 1969 song Je t'aime... moi non plus (I Love You... Me Neither).

Her container besides had a nail clipper attached, due to the fact that Birkin "was ne'er 1 for long, painted nails," Sotheby's said.

The container that Hermès handmade for her, developed disconnected its existing Haut A Courroies model, besides has gilded brass hardware, bottommost studs and different features that disagree from commercialized Birkins.

Birkin's casual, breezy benignant successful the 1960s and aboriginal '70s — agelong hairsbreadth with bangs, jeans paired with achromatic tops, knit mini-dresses and handbasket bags — inactive epitomizes the tallness of French chic for galore women astir the world.

WATCH | 10 years ago, Jane Birkin suggested changing the handbag's name: 

Prototype has doubly changed hands

When Birkin chatted to Hermès' Dumas connected the Paris-to-London formation astir what her perfect handbag would be, she'd been successful the wont of carrying her things astir successful a wicker basket, due to the fact that she felt handbags successful the 1980s were excessively small, Sotheby's said. She was travelling with her young daughter, Charlotte, and complained that she couldn't find a container suitable for her needs arsenic a mother, Hermès says.

Hermès aboriginal talented her 4 different Birkin bags. She kept the prototype for astir a decade, earlier auctioning it for an AIDS foundation successful 1994. It was auctioned again successful 2000 and has since been successful backstage hands, Sotheby's said.

"More than conscionable a bag, the Birkin has evolved from a applicable accessory to go a timeless taste icon," the auction location said.

"Its beingness spans the worlds of music, film, tv and the arts," it added. "It is simply a red-carpet staple, a manner mag mainstay and a coveted portion successful the wardrobes of celebrities, artists and stylists."