Jane Birkin's Original Hermès Birkin Becomes World's Most Expensive

It's probably not stretching matters too far to say that no handbag in the world carries as much cultural significance as the Hermès Birkin. At least, that is, for fashionistas.

Credit: Sotheby's

Owning a Birkin is widely regarded as a status symbol among the wealthiest women in the world - as the salesman famously quipped to Samantha Jones in Sex and the City, “It’s not a bag, it’s a Birkin.” Now, the very first Birkin has sold at auction for around 10 times the estimate placed on it by Sotheby's.

The item in question is the original prototype of the Hermès Birkin, created for Anglo-French actress Jane Birkin in 1985. With quirks including the style icon’s initials and a non-removable shoulder strap, it’s a bona fide piece of fashion history and, according to Sotheby’s, Birkin’s prototype bag has seven unique features that were never replicated together on later models.

“There is no doubt that the original Birkin bag is a true one of a kind - a singular piece of fashion history that has grown into a pop culture phenomenon that signals luxury in the most refined way possible,” says Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion. “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. The prototype that started it all carries a soul and legacy that no other handbag can claim.”

So, how did Sotheby's get their estimate so wrong when Birkin's original Birkin sold for a record €8.6 million ($10 million) at Sotheby’s Fashion Icons sale in Paris. Apparently - in a frenzied moment of great fortune for the lucky seller - the hammer fell after a bidding war reportedly involving newlywed (and minted) Amazon bride Lauren Sánchez. However, Jeff Bezos can keep his credit card in his wallet as the successful bidder was a private collector from Japan.

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