This post is going to be all about one the most iconic bags in history…the Birkin. The Birkin is one of the most recognisable bags in history and everyone and their mum would love a Birkin. The Birkin is a tote bag which first got released in 1984 by Hermes; a French Luxury good company that was established in 1837. This post will take you through the history of the Birkin bag whilst mentioning the most famous Birkin’s but also addressing why is the Birkin so famous?
The Birkin is based off another iconic Hermes bag known as the Kelly (named after the amazing actress Grace Kelly). I would also discuss about the Kelly but then this blog would end up being a whole novel because there is so much to say about these two iconic bags. But the Birkin is named after actress Jane Birkin who sadly passed away recently in July 2023. The story behind the creation of the Birkin was one of a miracle. So, the story starts in the early 1980s where Jane Birkin was on a flight, and everything spilt out of Hermes Kelly handbag right in front of Jean-Louis Dumas (the chairman of Hermes at the time). They started to have a conversation and Jane Birkin requested for Hermes to make a variation of the Kelly bag but three times bigger and for it not to shut, she drew a design on a vomit bag she found, and the rest is histoire (that’s French for history thought I’d keep it with the Hermes vibe). I think it’s quite ironic and iconic that the idea of a Birkin bag, one of the most expensive types of bags to exist, was drawn on a cheap airplane sick bag. Dumas agreed to make the bag that Birkin was longing for, on one condition that he could use her surname as the name of the bag which she agreed to and that was the birth of the Birkin bag.
Now we’ve spoken about how the Birkin was created let’s look at the elements of a Birkin. So, using this lovely, powdered purple/pink Birkin as an example. The handles are structured rolled leather that usually match the colour and material of the rest of the bag, and you can add a Hermes Twilly scarf to the handles for a pop of colour or to add dimension. You can also see the touret which can be used to keep the sangles (the horizontal straps at the top of the bag) in place or it can be left open for a relaxed vibe and with some Birkin’s you would get a lock and the touret is where it would go. Even though you can’t see them in this image at the bottom of the bag you would find four clou which are basically the feet of the bag that helps it stay upright and protect the material of the bag, they would usually match the hardware of the rest of the bag so in this case, silver. You can also see the flap which is very versatile as you can protect your belongings, but it is still open, as Jane Birkin requested. The sangles can be fastened by the Pontet, again in matching hardware. The Birkin can come in a multitude of colours and materials (most Birkin’s are made from calfskin) they can also come in an array of hardware making it a very versatile bag. With this Birkin’s come in a multitude of sizes them being 25,30,35 and 40 (all in centimetres). Also, because of this I truly believe that there is a Birkin for everyone (maybe not for vegetarians and vegans though).
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You might have clicked on this blog with little knowledge about the Birkin bag and have gotten to this point in the blog and you ask yourself ‘Why is the Birkin so famous?’ and ‘why on gods green earth are they so expensive?’. In a ‘Hola’ article the Birkin has been described as ‘…one of the most sought-after and prestigious bags globally, known for its timeless design, exceptional craftsmanship, and exclusivity.’. Exclusivity is a massive thing when it comes to buying a Birkin. The Birkin bag isn’t a product that is mass produced. But if you have the money, then you can go to a second hand luxury goods store and buy a Birkin bag. However, to get a Birkin from Hermes directly is a bit more difficult. You need to be a loyal customer of Hermes and show that you are a lover of the brand and display that in different departments of the company. However, even then you still might be unsuccessful, and it should be mentioned that you can’t just go into a Hermes store and say I want this bag in this colour with this hardware in this material goodbye and thank you. After you show your passion for Hermes you might be offered a Birkin but again it might not be what you are looking for. So, it’s safe to say that trying to get a Birkin from Hermes directly is definitely an exclusive and complicated process, but the bag has had such a massive impact on the fashion industry people are willing to go through the process and pay the price…the large price.
The price of a Birkin is very different, and many factors are considered such as the size, material, hardware etc. Birkin’s can start at roughly £8000 and can be as expensive as £1,500,000…gag I know. Like I said before you don’t have to buy Birkin’s from Hermes directly you can go to a luxury goods company and pick up a Birkin there. Love Luxury a preloved Luxury good store has a plethora of Birkin’s on their website and the cheapest I found was a Hermes Birkin 35 White Clemence Palladium Hardware (2002) costing £8,500, the most expensive being a Birkin 25 Matte Alligator Missi Vanille Gold Hardware (2022 Box Fresh) priced at £75,000 (however you can see that on their website they have sold Birkin’s over £150,000). But on average a Birkin bag costs around $10,000, however, the first Birkin bag was sold for around $2000 which is just under $6000 today which is around £4700 (my maths be really testing me today). So why is it so expensive? Well, the answer is really in the paragraph above. The amazing craftmanship and the exclusivity of the Birkin just adds to its price, not to mention you are also paying for the name of the brand; Hermes is a well established and well respected brand globally.
Throughout your life you might have seen a Birkin bag especially in the high end parts of London, you might even know someone who has Birkin. But you might ask yourself what the most famous and expensive Birkin’s out there? Well ask no more because I am going to take you through them.
This is a ‘Hermes Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin Bag’ and let me tell you it is very VERY expensive. The bag is made from Niloticus Crocodile skin dyed white and grey to create a beautiful gradient. The colours and gradient are meant to represent the Himalayan mountains. The bag is paired with 18 Karat white gold hardware which adds to the price. This bag is probably the most sought after Birkin with it being an amazing piece of fashion to add that extra pizzazz to your outfit but also, it’s a major collectors piece. This bag can be seen sold around $100,000 to $300,000. But it will be even more expensive if it was the Diamond Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin which in 2022 Sotheby’s (an auction house in New York) sold one of these for over $450,000. Which is just mental like you can buy a house with that…an actual house but I guess people are more interested in a buying a Birkin than paying rent which honestly, I don’t blame them it’s kind of iconic.
The next expensive and sought after Birkin is the ‘Hermes Birkin 25 Metallic Silver Chevre with Palladium Hardware’. This was a limited edition piece, and you could find it in silver and bronze and honestly…I don’t like it. Sorry Hermes don’t sue me and if you see this, please don’t hold it against me when I want to buy a Birkin, but I just think it looks a bit cheap. However, it has been described ‘ultra rare, crazy fabulous…’, so I guess it’s a style choice. The fact that this was a limited edition piece from 2004 adds to the value making it a collectors item. I’ve seen this bag go for around £90,000 but also over £100,000.
The final famous Birkin that I am going to talk about is probably my favourite Birkin. If I could snap my fingers and a Birkin would appear in front of me, it would be this one it sooo stunning. It is the ‘Hermes Beton Matte Alligator, White Togo, Bleu Brume Chevre and White, Orange H and Craie Swift Neige Faubourg Birkin’ (2021). I think its actually a positive that you can’t go into Hermes and just ask for a Birkin because trying to remember that would put you on the struggle bus. This Birkin is designed to represent the Hermes flagship store at 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris. This Birkin is very very rare and exclusive making the price point a very high one. From doing a bit of research I have seen this sold for £250,000 to £320,000 and probably more. Similar to the Himalaya Birkin it is made from crocodile skin which adds to the value of this piece. I think design is a fun and quirky but not gimmicky it still has a sense of sophistication that every Birkin possesses.
Overall, the Birkin, since its release, has made fashion history. It is an iconic and instantly recognisable bag. The Birkin is one of the highest demanded bags across the world where everyone wants it. The demand and exclusivity of Birkin bags almost justifies the high price…the very high price. As I’ve mentioned previously the Birkin is timeless and I think in many years to come the Birkin will still hold its power in the handbag market and the fashion industry. I guess we have to give our thanks to Jane Birkin for being on that flight and having a sick bag next to her to be able to draw her desired bag to show Jean-Louis Dumas.
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