US EditionJane Birkin’s Original Hermès Bag Goes on Sale
- Jane Birkin's original Hermès Birkin bag, created in 1984 after a chance encounter on an Air France flight in Paris, will be auctioned this summer at Sotheby's 'Fashion Icons' sale in Paris.
- The bag was designed after Birkin explained to then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas she needed a large, practical tote, with the prototype differing in seven ways from later versions.
- This one-of-a-kind black leather bag, worn and marked by Birkin herself, has been publicly displayed at MoMA in 2018 and London's Victoria & Albert Museum in 2020 before going on public display in New York and Paris in June and July.
- Sotheby's global head of handbags Morgane Halimi said the bag is unique and holds significant cultural value, and auction bids will be communicated privately without an estimate.
- The auction reflects the Birkin bag's enduring luxury status and strong market demand, with secondhand pieces routinely selling for $5,000 to $220,000 and the original poised to potentially set new records.
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71 Articles
First ever Birkin bag heads to auction at Sotheby's
The first-ever Birkin bag that was designed by French luxury brand Hermes for actress Jane Birkin is set to be sold at auction in Paris, with the piece of modern fashion history likely to spark a bidding frenzy. The Birkin has become a modern design icon that is so exclusive that Hermes only offers it to loyal clients, with prices starting at around $10,000. Auction house Sotheby's, which is handling the sale of the Birkin prototype in Paris on …
The model ordered by actress Jane Birkin in 1984 goes to the leion by Sotheby's in July. The estimated value was not made public, but it is believed to be worth as much as a shirt from Princess Diana.
Legend has it that the prototype was sketched out in 1984, during a joint flight between Jane Birkin and the CEO of Hermès. The bag is expected to fetch a record price, with the auction set for July 10.
The very first Birkin bag is to be sold at auction in Paris. The bag was designed by French luxury brand Hermès in 1985 for actress Jane Birkin.
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