By Leigh O’Connor.
It doesn’t matter about style, it’s about carrying a Birkin bag around the streets of New York while out of pocket thousands of dollars, but knowing you’ve made it.
Just ask Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha, who were obsessed with not only Birkin bags but Manolo Blahnik shoes in the iconic series ‘Sex and the City’.
Ever wondered what is so special about these designer bags to cause such obsession? Enter Jane Birkin, who passed away in Paris on Sunday aged 76 and was known for many things, from singing to acting and fashion.
This British-born actress and singer was a 1960s wild child who became a beloved figure in France and is best known for her 1969 hit with late French singer, songwriter and then-lover Serge Gainsbourg ‘Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus’.
In 1984, Jane found herself seated on a plane next to Hermès’ CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, who noticed she was carrying her signature wicker basket to hold her personal essentials. As she placed the straw bag in the overhead compartment, all the contents spilled in front of Dumas, who joked she needed a bag with pockets.
Jane replied that the day Hermès made a large everyday bag that could hold all the items a busy mother needed, she would give up her oversized basket in its favour, explaining how hard it was to find a spacious, secure and stylish bag she liked.
Dumas drew the very first sketches of the Birkin on an airplane sickness bag and Jane agreed to give her name to the creation in return for an early model of it.
The rest is history, but such a humble beginning for the luxury handbag that would one day rule the world with the most expensive ‘Sac Bijou Birkin’ demanding up to US $2 million in 2012.
Okay, it is crafted from rose gold, inlaid with 2712 diamonds and there are only three diamond Sac Bijou Birkins in existence.
Next up is the ‘Himalayan Birkin’ with an asking price of more than US $300,000 and infamous for being the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction when in 2022, Sotheby’s sold one for more than US $450,000.
Shown off by both Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner at special events and on their social media profiles, the two billionaires were spotted with the Himalayan on their private jet; made from Niloticus crocodile skin, which is an endangered and protected species, this bag is one of the rarest on the world market.
Described as a 'French icon' by President Emmanuel Macron, Jane embodied freedom and, throughout her career, was involved in various humanitarian causes, including working with Amnesty International and UNICEF.
Just last year, she and her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg made headlines by taking part in a protest which saw them cutting off locks of their hair in support of protesters in Iran.
There is no doubt Jane Birkin left her mark on the world from her sultry singing to the inspiration for a fashion icon.
In the words of Ashton Kutcher:
"I learned what a Birkin bag is from the price tag. You’ll never forget what it is once you’ve paid for one!”
