Sotheby's announced on July 10 that the original Hermès Birkin bag, custom-made for late British actress Jane Birkin, fetched an astonishing €8.6 million (approximately HK$79 million) at an auction in Paris. This sale set a new global record for the highest price ever paid for a fashion accessory at auction. The buyer, a Japanese private collector, placed the winning bid via telephone.
This historic handbag marks the genesis of the Birkin bag's legendary status. According to a well-known story in the fashion world, in 1984, Jane Birkin was seated next to then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight from Paris to London. During their conversation, Birkin lamented the lack of handbags that were both stylish and practical for young mothers.
Inspired by her concerns, Dumas sketched the design of a rectangular bag with a dedicated compartment for baby bottles directly on an airline sick bag. That sketch eventually became the prototype for one of the most iconic handbags in the world.
Reuters reported that the retail price of an ordinary Birkin bag now exceeds US$10,000. Sotheby's noted that the original Birkin bag features the initials "J.B." embossed on the flap, a personal touch for Jane Birkin herself. Unlike later models, the first-generation bag has non-detachable straps.
Despite being used by Birkin for nine years, the bag remains in remarkably good condition, according to Sotheby's.
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