Original Hermès Birkin Sells for Staggering $10 Million USD
The ultimate symbol of luxury and an icon born from a serendipitous airplane encounter,Jane Birkin's originalHermèsbag has sold at auction for an astounding $10.1 million (8.6 million euros), including fees. The sale, conducted by Sotheby's in Paris, has shattered previous records, making it the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction and the second most valuable fashion item in auction history.
The prototype, famously sketched out on an air sickness bag by Birkin during a 1981 flight with then-Hermès head Jean-Louis Dumas, was handcrafted for her in 1984 and delivered in 1985. Birkin used the battered black leather bag daily until 1994, even adorning it with stickers from Médecins du Monde and UNICEF, and incorporating practical details like a nail clipper. These personal touches and its unique origins distinguish it from all subsequent commercial Birkin bags, which became a global symbol of exclusivity and high fashion.
The 10-minute bidding war saw nine collectors vying for the piece, with a private collector from Japan ultimately securing the legendary bag. Its sale price eclipses the previous record for a handbag, a diamond and crocodile Kelly bag that sold for $513,040 USD in 2021, and far surpasses a white-diamond Himalaya Birkin that fetched $450,000 USD in 2022. Before the bidding, auctioneer Aurélie Vandevoorde said, 'Today, the Birkin has become a veritable fashion icon,' calling it 'the most famous bag of all time.'
Sotheby's Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, Morgane Halimi, called the sale 'an important milestone,' stating, '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.' The staggering price reflects not only the bag's rarity and provenance but also its deep cultural significance as a piece of fashion history intertwined with the life of its muse, Jane Birkin, who passed away in 2023.
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Key Attributes: Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 211 Forecast Period 2025 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2025 $21.52 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $29.79 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.7% Regions Covered Global Expand Market Dynamics Drivers Rising Wage Rates and Labor Shortage Growing Emphasis on Optimizing Agricultural Yield and Reducing Waste Mounting Adoption of Advanced Technologies to Enhance Food Security Rising Integration of AI, IoT, and Imaging Technologies into Harvesting Equipment Restraints High Upfront and Ownership Costs Limited Interoperability and Equipment Compatibility Data Privacy and Connectivity Issues Opportunities Surging Demand for High-Value Crops Expansion of Leasing Models and Custom Hiring Centers in Emerging Economies Challenges Lack of Skilled Operators and Technical Expertise Uneven Adoption Across Geographies Supply Chain Analysis Ecosystem Analysis Impact of AI/Gen AI on Precision Harvesting Market Impact of 2025 US Tariff on Precision Harvesting Market Introduction Key Tariff Rates Price Impact Analysis Impact on Countries/Regions US Europe Asia-Pacific Impact on Applications Company Profiles Deere & Company Cnh Industrial N.V. Claas KGaA Mbh Agco Corporation Kubota Corporation Topcon Corporation Sdf Group Pellenc AG Leader Technology Trimble Inc. Hexagon Ab Teejet Technologies Dickey-John Bernard Krone Holding SE & Co. KG Harvest Croo Robotics LLC Fjdynamics Ripe Robotics Pty Ltd Sentera Metomotion Bonsai Robotics Octinion Gamaya Tersus Gnss Inc. U-Blox Swift Navigation, Inc. For more information about this report visit About is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
