Last summer, the air in the Paris auction room buzzed with anticipation as Sotheby’s unveiled a remarkable piece of fashion history: the very first Birkin bag, custom-made for Jane Birkin in 1985. As a journalist perched in the front row, you can feel the mix of reverence and excitement that filled the room.
Origin
The story of the Birkin began on an Air France flight in 1981, when Jane Birkin spilled the contents of her wicker basket into the lap of Hermès artistic director Jean-Louis Dumas. She lamented the rarity of large yet elegant handbags, and Dumas acted on the spot sketching a design that would become the iconic Birkin. In 1985, Hermès presented Jane with the prototype and asked her permission to name it after her but it was never intended for mass production.
The Design
This was no ordinary Birkin. It combined the proportions of a Birkin 35 (width and height) with the depth of a Birkin 40, a silhouette unique to this bag . It featured a fixed shoulder strap, never seen again in commercial versions, gilded brass hardware, closed metal rings reminiscent of the Hermès Haut à Courroies, small bottom studs, and a zipper from Éclair rather than Hermès’s usual supplier. Jane’s initials, “J.B.,” were stamped on the flap, and the bag even held a nail clipper, a charming personal detail she carried for years.
For nearly a decade, she used it daily. Its scuffs and wear spoke of a life fully lived. She even adorned it with stickers supporting UNICEF and Médecins du Monde, tying fashion to her activism.
A Record-Breaking Auction
The 10-minute auction on 10 July 2025 was electric. Bidding opened at €1 million, and bids soared as nine collectors battled via phone, online, and in-person, prompting gasps and applause.
The final bid reached €8.6 million about $10.1 million including fees, making it the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction and the second most valuable fashion item, only behind Judy Garland’s ruby slippers.
The winning bidder? A Japanese collector, Valuence, who plans to preserve and display the bag.
This sale was more than a record. It was a reminder of how deeply objects can connect to human stories. The Birkin bag began as a practical solution for Jane Birkin’s everyday needs, now it’s an icon of luxury, activism, and design. As a fashion journalist, I witnessed how an ordinary, well-loved handbag transformed into a legend before our eyes.
