Latest news with #HimalayaBirkin
Web Release
16-07-2025
- Business
- Web Release
Jane Birkin's Original Hermès Bag Sells for $10 Million at Auction
In a landmark fashion moment, Jane Birkin's original Hermès handbag sold for a staggering $10.1 million at a Sotheby's auction in Paris. Created as a one-off prototype in 1984, the bag has now become the most expensive handbag ever auctioned, underscoring its unmatched cultural and historical significance. A Fashion Icon Born Mid-Flight The bag's story began in 1981 during a chance encounter aboard a flight. Jane Birkin famously sketched the design on an air sickness bag while seated next to Hermès executive Jean-Louis Dumas. Her practical needs and artistic flair led to the creation of what would become one of fashion's most iconic accessories. Handcrafted by Hermès and delivered to Birkin in 1985, the bag was used daily until 1994. Unlike commercial Birkin models, this prototype was adorned with stickers from Médecins du Monde and UNICEF, and even included a nail clipper—adding deeply personal touches to an already historic piece. Auction Sets Historic Records The bag sparked intense interest, with nine collectors bidding during a 10-minute showdown. Ultimately, a private buyer from Japan secured the prized item. Its final price of $10.1 million (8.6 million euros, including fees) shattered the previous auction record for a handbag, set by a diamond-studded crocodile Kelly bag that fetched $513,040 in 2021. It also eclipsed the $450,000 sale of a white-diamond Himalaya Birkin in 2022. Auctioneer Aurélie Vandevoorde described the Birkin as 'the most famous bag of all time,' while Sotheby's Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, Morgane Halimi, called the sale 'an important milestone.' Halimi added, '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.' Cultural Value Beyond Luxury The record-breaking sale marks not only the financial worth of this unique accessory but also its lasting influence on fashion history. As the muse behind one of the most coveted luxury items ever made, Jane Birkin left an enduring legacy. Her passing in 2023 only deepened the emotional and cultural value tied to this iconic piece.
Hypebeast
11-07-2025
- Business
- Hypebeast
Original Hermès Birkin Sells for Staggering $10 Million USD
Summary 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.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Jane Birkin's battered Birkin just sold for $10 million: Here's the real story behind fashion's ultimate trophy
How a Basket and a Sick Bag Birthed an Icon Let's start on an Air France flight in 1981. Jane Birkin , London-born muse, singer and actress, is wrestling a wicker basket that keeps spilling everywhere. Sitting next to her is Jean-Louis Dumas, Hermès boss. He watches her struggle, then says, essentially, You need a better bag. Birkin later told CNN how it went down: 'He said, 'Well, draw it for me,' and so I drew it on one of those sick bags — the vomit bags — in the airplane.' Dumas took her sketch and, four years later, handed her the very first Birkin bag . It wasn't dainty. It was practical, roomy, tough enough to take stickers and keys and even a nail clipper hanging off its zipper. She used it daily from 1985 to 1994 — a real handbag, not just a status symbol. The most expensive bag in the world, stickers and all Fast forward to July 2025 in Paris. That same battered Birkin prototype just went for €7 million ($8.2 million) under the hammer at Sotheby's. With fees, the anonymous Japanese bidder paid €8.58 million ($10 million). Live Events Nine collectors fought for it in a tense 10-minute bidding war. According to Forbes, gasps filled the room when the opening bid hit €1 million. It obliterated the old record — a white-diamond Himalaya Birkin that fetched about $450,000 in 2022. Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, called it 'an important milestone' for fashion history . She added, '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 and will most likely continue to be so for many years to come.' The details that make it one of a kind Here's the thing — this bag isn't just expensive because it's old. The O.G. Birkin is different from every other Birkin made after. It's got a shoulder strap (most Birkins don't). It's a hybrid of the Birkin 35's width and height but the Birkin 40's depth. The brass hardware was swapped for gold-plate in later versions. A pair of small silver nail clippers dangles from the inside zipper. Birkin liked her nails neat. She also sticker-bombed it with logos for Médecins du Monde and UNICEF. The wear and tear? That's not damage — that's Birkin's life stamped on black leather. From basket to holy grail Jane Birkin once joked to CNN's Christiane Amanpour, 'Bless me, when I'm dead… (people) will possibly only talk about the bag.' She wasn't wrong. Birkin died in 2023, but this humble, battered bag is now fashion legend. Author Marisa Meltzer nailed it: 'This is the bag. Mother of all 'it' bags, really.' The Birkin sits in that rare space where an accessory becomes myth — a stand-in for wealth, taste, even secrecy. As Meltzer put it, 'The problem with everyone who wasn't Jane Birkin is that if you wanted a Birkin, you couldn't necessarily get one — to this day. So it became this kind of myth. The Birkin bag meant that you had made it.' And you still can't just waltz into Hermès and buy one. You build a relationship. You spend. You wait. And maybe you'll get offered a Birkin, maybe not. A piece of fashion, a piece of history Catherine Benier, who owned it for 25 years before selling, said the auction 'made me relive my own bidding battle… and how raw and indescribable the feeling of winning over this wonderful bag was.' Before her, Birkin herself sold it in 1994 to support AIDS research . It's been shown at MoMA in New York and the V&A in London. It's a museum piece you could sling on your shoulder — though you probably wouldn't dare now. So why does this battered piece of black leather matter? Because it's not just a bag. It's a story. A spilled basket. A sick bag sketch. A single mother on a plane who needed something practical — and ended up with the mother of all status symbols. Wear and tear be damned. This bag, scuffed and scratched, is proof that real life makes things valuable. And sometimes, that's worth ten million dollars.
