Inside the $10 million handbag: Why Jane Birkin’s Hermès purse made auction history

The black leather Birkin bag by Hermès is scuffed, scratched, and stained, but it's now the priciest handbag ever sold, as per a report.

Black Leather Birkin Sets New Auction Record at $10 Million

The handbag owned by the late British actress and singer Jane Birkin sold for a record price of €8.6 million (around $10 million) at a Sotheby's online sale on Thursday, including fees, as reported by CNN Style. The hammer price was €7 million ($8.2 million), which went on for a 10-minute bidding battle between nine collectors, according to the report. The successful buyer was a Japanese private collector, reported CNN Style.

How To Watch The Birkin Bag Auction Live?

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The Story Behind the Iconic Birkin Bag

This wasn't any designer handbag, it was the first Birkin, the first one ever produced for the actress and singer in 1985 and used by her almost daily for almost a decade, and has now become the ultimate symbol of luxury, as per the CNN Style report.

The concept of the Birkin bag was conceived on an aeroplane from Paris to London in 1984, according to the report. Jane Birkin was sitting next to former Hermès chairman Jean-Louis Dumas and shared with him that she couldn’t find a purse spacious enough to suit her needs and had taken to carrying a large wicker basket, which accidentally fell on Dumas during the flight, as reported by CNN Style.

During an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2020, Jane Birkin shared that she wanted a bag “half the size of my suitcase,” as quoted in the report. Then she recalled that, “He said, ‘Well, draw it for me,’ and so I drew it on one of those sick bags — the vomit bags — in the airplane,” as quoted in the report.

Later Hermès delivered the bag to her in 1985 and gifted her four more over the course of her life, and she also received royalties from the name but reportedly donated them each year to charities, as reported by CNN Style.

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Jane Birkin’s Legacy Lives Through the Bag

She passed away in 2023 at the age of 76, but she had jokingly predicted that people would remember her best for inspiring the coveted, capacious style, which has become one of the most recognisable and expensive accessories one can buy, and said, “Bless me, when I’m dead… (people) will possibly only talk about the bag,” as quoted in the CNN Style report.

Sotheby’s global head of handbags and accessories, Morgane Halimi, said that it was a historic sale and “an important milestone” for the history of fashion and luxury, according to the report. Halimi highlighted that, “It is a startling demonstration of the power of a legend and its capacity to ignite the passion and desire of collectors seeking exceptional items with unique provenance,” as quoted by CNN Style.

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A Milestone for Fashion and Collectors

Before the sale took place, Halimi pointed out that, “It is incredible to think that a bag initially designed by Hermès as a practical accessory for Jane Birkin, has become the most desirable bag in history and will most likely continue to be so for many years to come,” as quoted in the report.

While the earlier record for the most expensive handbag was set by a diamond and crocodile Kelly bag at $513,040, reported CNN Style.

FAQs

Did Jane Birkin actually use this bag?
Yes. She used it nearly every day from 1985 to 1994, which explains its worn condition.

Who bought Jane Birkin's bag at auction?
A private collector from Japan won the bidding war, as per the CNN Style report.