PARIS (AP) — Sketched out on an airplane vomit sack, it became fashion’s must-have accessory.
The original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermès created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is up for auction in Paris on Thursday.
The so-called Original Birkin is expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars) at the sale by auction house Sotheby’s.
Created for the London-born star by the Paris fashion house in 1984, the commercialized version of Birkin’s bag went on to become one of the world’s most exclusive luxury items, with its extravagant price tag and years-long waiting list.
The fashion accessory was born of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s with the then head of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin recounted in subsequent interviews that the pair got talking after she spilled some of her things on the cabin floor.
Birkin asked Dumas why Hermès didn’t make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit sack the sort of bag that she would like. He then had an example made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Hermès asked whether it could commercialize the bag in her name.
The bag became so famous that Birkin once mused before her death in 2023 at age 76 that obituaries for her would likely “say, ‘Like the bag’ or something,’” adding: “Well, it could be worse.”
Sotheby’s said that the all-black leather prototype was handcrafted for Birkin. It described it as a “legendary handbag” and “one of the most iconic fashion items ever created.”
The bag has seven unique design elements that set it apart from every Birkin that followed, the auction house said.
“More than just a bag, the Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon. Its presence spans the worlds of music, film, television and the arts; it is a red-carpet staple, a fashion magazine mainstay, and a coveted piece in the wardrobes of celebrities, artists and stylists,” it said.