The first-ever Birkin bag, created by the French luxury brand Hermès for celebrity Jane Birkin, was sold for 8.58 million euros (approximately Rs 85.7 crore) at a Sotheby's auction in Paris on Thursday, breaking previous records for handbag sales.
This modern design classic, owned by a prominent handbag collector based in Paris, ignited a bidding war over the phone that reached 7 million euros, with the final sale price totalling 8.58 million euros, including commissions and fees, as reported on Sotheby's website.
The previous record for a handbag sold at auction was held by a diamond- and white gold-encrusted crocodile skin Hermès Kelly 28, which sold for nearly $513,000 in 2021 at Christie's in Hong Kong.
"After weeks of anticipation, the bidding began at 1 million euros, eliciting gasps from the audience," Sotheby's stated. The auction house had predicted that the Birkin prototype would set new records.
However, the eye-popping price aligns with the fashion industry's recent trend toward bold aesthetics. Following years of "quiet luxury" reigning on the runways, designers have shifted to more extravagant styles in recent seasons, a change some trend forecasters have labelled "boom boom." The identity of the buyer remains undisclosed.
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The original Birkin bag has changed hands twice since it was auctioned by Birkin in 1994, with the proceeds benefiting an AIDS charity, as reported by Sotheby's.
The seller on Thursday, Catherine Benier, who owns a boutique in the upscale 6th district of Paris's Left Bank, described the bag as the "jewel in my collection" in an interview with The New York Times prior to the sale.
The story of the Birkin bag has become a modern fashion legend. During a flight from Paris to London, the late singer and actress, who passed away in 2023, expressed her frustration to a fellow passenger about her inability to find a suitable bag for her needs as a young mother. That passenger was Jean-Louis Dumas, then the head of Hermès.
Their conversation led to the creation of a spacious tote designed to accommodate baby bottles, which debuted in 1984 and was named the Birkin. This particular bag is engraved with the initials J.B. and features several distinctive elements, including closed metal rings, a non-detachable shoulder strap, and a built-in nail clipper. According to Sotheby's, its condition reflects the years of use by the actress and singer.
A slightly altered version of the original has since become the flagship product of the highly profitable, family-owned French luxury leather goods brand. Produced in very limited quantities, the Birkin bag has retained an air of exclusivity and is favoured by celebrities such as Khloé Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Victoria Beckham. Last year, frustrated fashion enthusiasts in the U.S. even filed a class-action lawsuit against Hermès in California after being denied access to the bags.
