Yesterday, July 16, the world mourned the passing of Jane Birkin. While the British-born artist had a lasting legacy as an actress and singer in France, the people best remebered her as the inspiration behind one of the most elusive luxury pieces—Hermès’ Birkin bag.
British singer and actress Jane Birkin (Photo by Valery Hach/AFP)
It was in 1984 when the French luxury label introduced the bag, which was then priced at $2,000, according to Sotheby’s. Its story began in 1981 when Jane serendipitously met Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight from Paris to London. In an interview with CBS, Jane recalled how her bag fell and spilled out its contents, to which Jean-Louis responded that she should find a bag with pockets that could hold her things.
“What can you do? Hermès don't make it with pockets,” she replied without knowing that Jean-Louis was the leader of the brand. "He said, 'I am Hermès'... I said, 'Why don't you make a hand bag that's a bit bigger than the Kelly and not as big as my suitcase?’"
With a stomach distress bag, Jane sketched a bag fit for the on-the-go woman. A month later, she got a call and asked to look at the bag prototype and was asked if the bag can carry her name, to which she happily agreed.
Since its creation, the Birkin bag rose to the top of the it-bags game that it became so hard to have one. In an episode of "Sex and the City," one of its fan-favorite characters, Samantha Jones, described how a Birkin bag was seen as a status symbol.
“It’s not so much the style. It’s what carrying it means,” Samatha said.
A rare Hermes 25 cm (9.8 inches) matte white Himalayan Nilo crocodile Brikin bag with palladium hardware, an Hermes limited edition Noisette Gulliver leather Quelle Idole Kelly doll bag, and an Hermes Extraordinary Collection 25 cm (9.8 inches) shiny black Nilo crocodile Birkin bag with 18 karat white gold hardware and diamonds (Photo by Stan Honda/AFP)
With its long waiting list, the bag also became one of the most sought-after fashion collector’s items. Its most prestigious version was the Himalaya Birkin bag with white gold and diamond hardware, which was sold in a 2016 Christie's auction for more than $300,000, that’s around 15 million in Philippine peso.
Through the years, the Birkin bag not only became a dream piece for fashionistas everywhere, but also a source of inspiration for art for many creatives, some of which, the brand was not happy about. The most recent one was LA-based digital artist Mason Rothschild’s NFT version of the prized design called the MetaBirkin, released late in 2021.
To address it, the luxury label issued a cease and desist letter to the NFT creator. “These NFTs infringe upon the intellectual property and trademark rights of Hermès and are an example of fake Hermès products in the metaverse,” the brand said in a statement to the Financial Times.
Through a post, Mason responded to the brand’s letter saying “his work is protected against Hermés’ trademark infringement claims by the First Amendment.”
Unfortunately, the NFT artist lost the battle early this year. On Feb. 8, a nine-person federal jury in New York City sided with Hermès awarding it with “some $133,000 in damages; Hermès’ expert put the total damages figure at about $250,000, a sum that includes the value of the MetaBirkins that Rothschild received,” as reported by The Fashion Law.
As the name Birkin graced the headline once again, people weren’t thinking of the bag, but the artistry of Jane. Her vision and how the best fashion pieces were created when creatives and brands listen to the people they are designing for.
Rest in peace, Jane Birkin.