Jane Birkin’s namesake bag is more than just good looks, high price, or its celebrated label—it’s a bag that serves humanity.
A history maker, a status symbol, a highly coveted investment piece. The Hermès Birkin bag sets the blueprint for fashion icons. It is not just a luxury bag—it is the bag.
Since its inception in 1984, the Birkin has been a dream for many, fashion enthusiasts or not. It has become the “it” bag for its high-quality materials, exceptional craftsmanship, and a high price that appreciates over time, making it a true symbol of wealth and investment.
Above all, these bags are highly exclusive. While anyone rolling in dough can theoretically buy them, the reality is that it is often a challenging, years-long process. It requires an extensive purchase history at the French brand, and only those receiving a personal invite from Hermès sales associates can purchase the bag, according to Fortune.
This has been the case until now, when Sotheby’s announced that it is auctioning off the rarest of the rare Birkin—by that we mean the one owned by the inspiration for the bag herself, Jane Birkin.
The late actress and style icon’s bag is the very first Birkin Hermès ever made. It’s a fashion gem that started a cultural phenomenon representing style, elegance, wealth, and aspiration, with prices ranging from $12,000 to $100,000.
The OG Birkin has returned to the spotlight as the main attraction in Sotheby’s upcoming “Fashion Icons” sale in Paris. This auction event, which ran from June 26 to July 10, 2025, provides collectors and fashion enthusiasts with an opportunity to acquire the one-of-a-kind bag—and without the long waiting list.
Sotheby’s head of fashion collection, Morgane Halimi, believes that it is “rare for an object to transcend trends and become a legend.” Jane’s original Birkin bag is one of those, she said.
“A true unicorn in the world of fashion and accessories, this iconic handbag stands side by side with other exceptional items of equally dazzling provenance, such as Princess Diana’s symbolic black sheep sweater and Freddie Mercury’s crown and cape. Both set exceptional benchmarks for items of their kind,” she continued. “Like them, the original Birkin has the potential to redefine records. But above all, our priority is to ensure that it finds a new home worthy of its iconic status and legendary history.”
The iconic bag was later sold for €8.6 million (P56.7 million) to a private collector from Japan. Its value raised tenfold from its previous €439,000 (P29 million) record sale. There was a “electrifying” 10-minute bidding war between “nine determined collectors” before it landed on the hands of the lucky bidder, according to Sotheby’s.
Before the historic bag went on sale, it will be displayed at Sotheby’s flagship location in New York from June 6 to 12, then in its Paris galleries from July 3 to 9. It will be auctioned off the following day, on July 10, alongside other iconic pieces from couture shows such as Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen.
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Designed for a purpose
The Birkin is widely considered the ultimate fashion statement, not only for its high price and exclusivity but also for its timeless design characterized by a rectangular shape, two rolled handles, a flap with a turnlock closure, and metal “clou” feet. Many may not know, though, that it was, in fact, crafted as a trusty daily companion for mothers.
A chance encounter led to the development of the iconic bag. It happened in 1981 when Jane was onboard an Air France flight from Paris to London. As the actress was trying to shove her things in the overhead compartment, her famous wicker basket spilled its contents onto the lap of her seatmate, Jean-Louis Dumas, then the artistic director of Hermès.
Frustrated and stressed, the 35-year-old actress lamented to Dumas that she couldn’t find a bag large enough to hold her daily essentials as a young mother, especially baby bottles. Dumas then sketched a “supple and spacious rectangular hold-all with a burnished flap and saddle stitching,” according to Hermès. And, of course, Dumas made sure to include a dedicated space for baby bottles.
Three years later, in 1984, the French label presented the prototype to Jane while asking (and receiving) permission to use her name for the iconic bag. This very same prototype became Hermès’ first Birkin, featuring distinctive features uniquely its own.
A Birkin like no other
Long before personalization became a luxury, there was Jane’s original Birkin, showing how it should be done. The bag comes with details that have a strong connection to the style icon, establishing its one-of-a-kind status.
A major highlight is her initials “J.B.” stamped on the front flap. Jane’s Birkin is also the only one to have a fixed, non-removable shoulder strap, and the only Birkin that comes in a unique size between the 40 and 35.
Another feature that was never again replicated in any Birkin model is the gilded brass hardware, which was later replaced by gold-plated hardware in subsequent units. The bag also features closed metal rings at the top, which are starkly different from the open rings in today’s Birkins.
And here’s a fun fact: To keep her nails clean even on the go, Jane kept a nail clipper attached to a chain inside the bag for easy use.
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A ‘great rain hat’
The original Birkin instantly became Jane’s favorite accessory. She was often seen cradling it with both arms while she was out and about. Still, the style icon was unafraid to utilize her bag to the fullest rather than keeping it good as new.
She described it as a “great rain hat” built for various activities, according to the New York Times. She roughed it up, used it heavily, and even plastered it with stickers, badges, and other personal touches.
Why so? The actress once told Vogue, “There’s no fun in a bag if it’s not kicked around so that it looks as if the cat’s been sitting on it—and it usually has. The cat may even be in it!” She affirmed her belief that bags should be functional more than aesthetic when she said, “I keep saying to Hermès to make it out of plastic or cardboard, then it wouldn’t be so heavy. But if people want to go for the real thing, fine. If they go for copies, that’s fine too. I really don’t think it matters.”
A history maker
The Birkin plays a key role in cementing Hermès’ status as a leader in the luxury sector, but it actually got off to a slow start among fashion enthusiasts. It was not until the “it-bag era” in the late 1990s and early 2000s that the bag rose to fame.
It was then that the Birkin became visible alongside countless celebrities, from Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, and Paris Hilton to Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and the Kardashians. The bag became a cultural phenomenon after making its television debut in the hit series Sex and the City in 2001. This, coupled with the bag’s exclusivity and scarcity, has turned the Birkin into an object of desire and a status symbol among the elites.
The bag has grown stronger ever since, with its value increasing yearly at an average rate of 14.2%. It has gained a reputation for being a better investment piece than S&P and gold, which only have an annual return of 8.7% and 1.5%, respectively, according to Baghunter. The online marketplace for handbags also reported that the Birkin’s average return can soar to more than 500% over 35 years.
Bringing good to the world
While others see the Birkin as an “it-bag,” a status symbol, or a strong investment piece, Jane, on the other hand, deemed it fitting for bringing good to the world. The style icon eventually expanded her collection beyond the original Birkin and later offloaded some of them for a good cause. Not only that, she revealed in a 2011 interview with WWD that she “got Hermès to fork out” for her charities upon seeing “the fortune they were making” from her namesake bags.
“I was able to use some of that money to go to Japan for a benefit concert after the earthquake,” she said. “We use some of the money to feed the poor people who can’t afford to eat in France, and I sold one of my Birkin bags for $163,000 to help the Japanese Red Cross. So that rather trivial heavy piece of luggage has done a lot of good in the world.”
The actress, who passed away in 2023, donated her original Birkin to the French AIDS charity in 1994. It was purchased by Parisian collector Catherine Benier in 2000, before it was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2018 and in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum in 2020.
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