Behind the Birkin Bag
The Hermès Birkin handbag is far from ordinary in every way. Known for its top-tier craftsmanship and staggering price tag starting from $10,500 – buying one comes along with being on a waitlist for a few years, that is if you can even get on the waitlist. So be prepared to pay above retail even for a pre-owned one.
This bag also has an interesting history to go along with it, making it one of the most coveted bags for good reason.
As of June 2017, a Hermès Birkin was the most expensive handbag ever sold. For the outstanding price of $379,261 (2,940,000 Hong Kong dollars), a matte White Himalayan Niloticus crocodile Birkin containing more than 240 diamonds on its 18-karat-gold hardware could be yours at a Christie's Auction.
It All Starts with Jane Birkin
Ironically enough, Jane Birkin got her start in England as a singer, humanitarian, and actress who was most well-known for her collaboration and relationship with French musician Serge Gainsbourg in the 1960s and ‘70s. The concept of the Birkin bag didn’t come along until 1981, when, Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London.
She had just placed her straw traveling bag in the overhead compartment for her seat, but the contents fell to the deck, leaving her to scramble to replace them. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. Based off the Haut À Courroies (or HAC for short), they sketched the design of what would be the Birkin bag on a plane sick-bag, and in 1984, the Birkin bag finally hit the market.
Image Credit: Hermès
From Horse Harnesses to Handbags
While Birkin began her career in fashion after becoming famous for her musical work, Hermès also started in a completely different industry. Before becoming known as a world-renowned fashion label, Hermès was known for crafting horse carriages and harnesses, with the first shop opening in Paris in 1837. The company didn’t become synonymous with handbags until 1922.
The first popular Hermès bag was the “Sac à dépêches,” which became known worldwide as the Kelly bag when it was photographed being carried by Princess Grace of Monaco. To tie both the Birkin and Kelly bag to the company’s origins, they were both supposedly inspired by a bag design from 1892 called the “Haut à Courroies.” The latter was inspired by the design of horse saddle and feed bags.
Failure to Launch
Though the Birkin bag would eventually become one of the most famous in the world, it took a long time for it to reach that point. The first advertisement for the bag was aired in 1989, which was its only exposure at the time. It was only recognized worldwide as a fashion symbol with its appearance in an episode of Sex and the City in 2001. The character Samantha Jones was responsible for bringing attention to it, using a famous client’s name to skip the five-year waiting list for the Birkin bag. An appearance and plot focus in Gilmore Girls made the bag even more famous in 2005.
Image Credit: Livingly and Baghunter
The Birkin Handbag Continues to Thrive
Today, the Birkin bag is still known as one of the most coveted handbag designs available. Celebrities such as Kate Moss, Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian, and Victoria Beckham have been spotted with Birkin bags on their arms, some even repurposing them into sketch pads and diaper bags.
While the bag was involved in some controversy in 2015 when PETA found that crocodile skins from an unethical farm in Texas were purchased by Hermès, the company took the steps necessary to ensure that all materials were to be obtained ethically in the future. Since then, the Birkin bag has remained symbolic and nearly unmatchable in the fashion world.
The Birkin Bag Buying Guide
A Birkin bag is an iconic statement. Each bag is hand-crafted by skilled craftsmen in France. One bag can take anywhere from 8 to 30 hours to create. Unlike regular handbags, each Birkin bag is crafted by a single artisan. No two Birkin bags are the same and the price ranges (anywhere from $10,500 to $150,000) based on materials and sizes. The Birkin bag comes in various sizes and has unique, one-of-a-kind touches.
Birkin Bag Sizes
The Birkin bag is not one-size-fits-all. Conveniently, the Birkin comes in a variety of sizes to suit any woman’s needs. The Birkin comes in the following sizes:
- 25: 25 x 20 x 13cm
- 30: 30 x 22 x 16cm
- 35: 35 x 35 x 18cm
- 40: 40 x 30 x 21cm
- 50: 50 x 35 x 26cm
Birkin Bag Leather Varieties
The Birkin comes with a variety of leathers from smooth to grained, supple to rigid calf, goat, bull and buffalo to exotic skin like ostrich, lizard and crocodile and every possible color imaginable – many of which have only been in production for a few seasons. Therefore, increasing their rarity and, ultimately, the price.
Most bags come with either shiny Palladium or Gold-Plated hardware with some rare versions in brushed, Ruthenium or Permabrass (a light gold).
There are also a few special stamps indicating the varies type of exotics skins or order background.
Lizard
Lizard
Niloticus Crocodile
Porosus Crocodile
Alligator
Made by a Hermès Craftsman for Personal Use
Special Order
The Haut À Courroies & Other Hermès Bags
Aside from the Birkin, Hermès still produces the original Haut À Courroies (available in sizes 28, 32, 36, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60), the inspiration for the Birkin bag and one of Hermès’ first bags. They also still sell the Jean Paul-Gaultiers reinterpretation of the Birkin which was released in 2005 - the JPG Shoulder Birkin I. This bag was later replaced by the JPG Shoulder Birkin II which features a slimmer base and an interior pocket.
The Birkin bag is an icon that will never lose its class. It’s an icon that will live on for generations. If considering purchasing a Birkin bag in the near future, keep our buying guide in mind.
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