Forty-three years ago, one of the most exclusive fashion accessories in history was born from a chance encounter on a flight.
In 1981, French model Jane Birkin found herself upgraded on a flight to London which landed her in the seat next to one very famous name.
Birkin had brought a standard handbag for her carry on when mid-flight, all her items tumbled out of the bag.
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That was when the actress recalled to Vogue years later that the man sitting beside her quipped, “You should have one with pockets.”
“I said, ‘The day Hermès makes one with pockets, I will have that,'” Birkin replied.
“And he said, ‘But I am Hermès, and I will put pockets in for you’.”
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How Jane Birkin inspired the world’s priciest handbag
Because of an upgraded plane ticket, Birkin wound up in conversation and designing a completely new handbag with none other than Jean-Louis Dumas of Hermès himself.
Birkin was already an established model and actress, starring in The Swimming Pool, Death on the Nile and Evil Under the Sun in the ’60s and ’70s.
After drawing her design for a bigger and functional handbag on an airplane sick bag, Dumas was convinced.
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Not only did he keep his work and create the bag Jane Birkin sketched, but he even got permission to use her surname for the official Hermès piece.
The end result was a handbag, called the Birkin Bag, which started selling in the ’80s, featuring double handles and an interior zip for both functionality and aesthetics.
On top of her name being credited, Birkin received annual royalties for the expensive designer bag sales, which Vogue reported was around £30,000 (approx. $57,500) as of 2011.
Before her death in July 2023, Birkin spoke about her lasting legacy, and while the 76-year starred in many films and was a fashion icon, the namesake bag was on her mind.
“I don’t think that you can really choose what people will like, or say, or even remember about you. I mean, my God, probably the Birkin bag will be known,” she told The Talks.
The handbag, which comes in an array of sizes and colours, is made from leather and has interior stitching.
One Birkin bag alone takes an expert artisan at least 18 hours to hand-make, and is incredibly difficult to buy – even if you do have the funds.
Because of the expert craft and luxury materials used, the cost of the bag can be upwards of $US25,000 (approx. $38,100) for the smallest design, called the Birkin 25.
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Still in 2024 – 43 years after the French model helped design it – the Birkin bag has persisted as an emblem of exclusivity and luxury amongst fashion fiends and celebrities.
Along with mentions in cult classic shows such as Gilmore Girls and Sex and the City, the Birkin has been seen carried by some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
Jennifer Lopez, the Kardashians, Victoria Beckham and Eva Longoria are just a few of the stars who have an Hermès Birkin bag.
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