Latest news with #JaneBirkin
Web Release
7 hours ago
- 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.
CNN
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
With $10 million, you can buy a private island… or this handbag
With $10 million, you can buy a private island... or this handbag This week, the original Hermès Birkin handbag, made for and owned by its namesake Jane Birkin, sold at auction for $10 million USD. Here are six other things that kind of money can buy you. 00:38 - Source: CNN Automated CNN Shorts 11 videos With $10 million, you can buy a private island... or this handbag This week, the original Hermès Birkin handbag, made for and owned by its namesake Jane Birkin, sold at auction for $10 million USD. Here are six other things that kind of money can buy you. 00:38 - Source: CNN Key evidence prosecutors allege in the case against a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife The trial of Aurora, Colorado dentist James Craig accused of fatally poisoning his wife Angela's protein shakes begins this week. CNN's Jean Casarez reports on the allegations prosecutors have laid against him. 02:55 - Source: CNN Trump says interest in Epstein files is 'pretty boring stuff' President Donald Trump said he doesn't understand his supporters' continued interest in the Epstein files, calling it "boring," while also reiterating his call for anything 'credible' to be released. 00:56 - Source: CNN 'Firenado' forms during Utah blaze The Bureau of Land Management released video of a swirling vortex of wind and flames that formed during the Deer Creek Fire near Old La Sal, Utah. 00:41 - Source: CNN London theater group reimagines Jan 6 into democracy simulation game "Fight for America!" co-creator Christopher McElroen speaks with CNN's Audie Cornish about the immersive theater experience he says explores the events of January 6 and "the state of democracy" through gameplay. 01:25 - Source: CNN Unreleased Beyoncé music stolen from choreographer's rental car in Atlanta Two laptops and hard drives containing watermarked and unreleased music by Beyoncé were stolen from her choreographer's rental car in Atlanta, according to police. 00:55 - Source: CNN Video shows machine gun fire near Gaza aid site A video from social media shows machine gun fire spraying the ground near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza as crowds of Palestinians lie on the ground for safety. Although the source of the gunfire is not seen in the video, multiple eyewitnesses say it shows the Israeli military opening fire on Palestinians as they waited for food on Saturday. In a statement, the IDF said, 'The details of the video are under review.' 01:02 - Source: CNN Supreme Court ruling will allow mass firings of Education Department employees The Supreme Court on Monday said President Donald Trump may proceed with his plan to carry out mass layoffs at the Department of Education in the latest win for the White House at the conservative high court. CNN's Sunlen Serfaty reports. 01:34 - Source: CNN US Citizen who spied on Ukraine awarded Russian passport Daniel Martindale, an American citizen, spied on the Ukrainian military for Moscow for two years in the region of Donetsk before the Kremlin awarded him a Russian passport on Tuesday, according to state media TASS. 00:41 - Source: CNN Trump's fight with MAGA base over Epstein explained President Trump is at odds with some of his own supporters over after his Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to release more documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case. CNN's Erin Burnett explains the feud inside Trump's MAGA movement. 02:20 - Source: CNN
The Mainichi
a day ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japanese firm wins auction for Hermes's original Birkin bag
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A Japanese company won an auction in Paris for the original Birkin bag crafted by French brand Hermes for a record 1.47 billion yen ($10 million), the firm said Friday. The black leather Birkin bag, named after and created for singer and actress Jane Birkin in the 1980s, has been sold to Valuence Japan Inc., a buyer and reseller of luxury items and jewelry. Sotheby's said the price for the iconic bag "set a new record for any handbag sold at auction." Birkin, who died in 2023, owned the bag for 10 years before it was auctioned for charity. It has her initials "J.B." and still bears the marks of stickers she put on it, according to Sotheby's. Valuence Japan described the bag as a "one of a kind" item, saying it has no plans to sell it but will preserve it for its cultural value.
Vogue
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue
On the Podcast: How Jane Birkin Became the Ultimate It-Girl
The fashion equivalent of the Super Bowl—or maybe the recent FIFA Club World Cup final?—may just have been the auction of Jane Birkin's original Hermès Birkin bag last Thursday. On the pod this week to discuss all things Birkin, the origins of French girl style, and how looking effortless often takes real effort is writer and friend of the pod Marisa Meltzer, whose new book, It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, is out in October. But first, earlier in the episode, Sam Sussman, Vogue's global director of social, drops in to share what it was like to attend the Birkin bag auction in person—and explain (unrelatedly) why she couldn't stop watching this season of Love Island. (Hint: we love Amaya Papaya!)
Ammon
a day ago
- Business
- Ammon
Most expensive handbag in history sells for $10 million
Ammon News - A black leather Birkin bag just sold for €8.6 million ($10 million), with fees, becoming the most expensive handbag to ever sell at auction. The hammer fell at a winning bid of €7 million ($8.2 million). The first ever Birkin to have been created by Hermès, the bag was designed for the British actor and singer Jane Birkin. The Francophone style icon used it nearly every day from 1985 to 1994, before it became the ultimate symbol of luxury. On Thursday, the rarefied bag was sold by auction house Sotheby's in an online sale of notable luxury fashion, including designs by Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior. The auction house declined to provide an estimate of the original Birkin to CNN ahead of the sale, but advanced bidding had already smashed records at €1 million. During a live stream of the sale, gasps could be heard as the bidding pushed higher and higher. The 10-minute bidding war between nine collectors ultimately ended in victory for a private collector from Japan, according to a Sotheby's press release. CNN
