The first-ever Birkin Bag is up for sale; Here's how you can buy
Yes, it is the very first Hermès Birkin bag ever created, the OG, once made and carried by the iconic British singer and actor Jane Birkin, is going up for auction soon.
The historic bag will be featured in Sotheby's Paris Fashion Icons sale on July 10, offering collectors and fashion enthusiasts a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a piece of fashion history.
The first Birkin bag is more than a fashion statement. It marks the beginning of a cultural phenomenon that today symbolises status, craftsmanship, taste and style, with prices starting at around $10,000.
Crafted using sleek jet-black leather and accented with Hermès' iconic gold hardware, the first one is a saddle-style Birkin, engraved with the initials J.B. What makes it even more special is its origin story, which many might not know.
In 1984, an encounter aboard a flight between style icon Jane Birkin and Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas led to the creation of what today we know as the most sought-after bag in the world. Going by the story, Birkin's straw tote spilled its contents mid-flight, prompting her to casually remark on the need for a bag that was both stylish and functional. At that moment, Dumas sketched a design on an airplane sick bag, and the first blueprint of the Birkin bag was born.
The very first Birkin ever made was gifted to Jane Birkin herself. It was sold by Jane in 1994 to raise funds for AIDS research. The bag found a home when a private collector known only as 'Catherine B,' took it home.
Once again the iconic bag will go under the hammer at Sotheby's Paris Fashion Icons sale.
Sotheby's has declined to specify a reserve price for the legendary bag publicly. "The Original Birkin holds the potential to redefine records," Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's global handbag and fashion head, said in a statement as per AFP.
The current record for the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction was set in 2017 in Hong Kong, when a highly customised Hermès Birkin went under the hammer. The luxurious Birkin 30, crafted from rare crocodile skin and adorned with diamonds and white gold hardware, fetched an astonishing $510,000 at Christie's.
The prototype Birkin will be exhibited at Sotheby's in New York from June 6 to 12 before being put on show in Paris.
Bidding will open online on June 26 and close on July 10.
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