Original Hermès Birkin Bag to Hit Auction Block
The ultimate accessory, crafted for “It Girl” Jane Birkin, is part of the Fashion Icons sale and will be on view at Sotheby’s New York through June 12
If owning a Birkin bag is considered elite, owning the original prototype for the iconic Hermès purse is on an entirely different level. This July, for the first time in 25 years, the original purse that was custom-made for Jane Birkin will hit Sotheby’s auction block as part of the Fashion Icons sale. The bag, which has been on a world tour of sorts, will be on view at Sotheby’s New York through June 12.
“This exceptional prototype, distinguished by seven unique design elements, represents the very genesis of the world’s most coveted handbag,” Sotheby’s wrote in a statement. “The sale also offers a thoughtfully curated selection tracing the evolution of fashion from the 1950s to the 2010s. Highlights include iconic pieces from landmark couture collections by Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior, John Galliano, Thierry Mugler, and Azzedine Alaïa.”
Birkin, who died at age 76 in 2023, first debuted the bag in 1985 after a chance encounter with Hermès’s then-artistic director and CEO Jean-Louis Dumas while on a flight two years prior. Birkin’s belongings had tumbled out of her wicker basket on the flight, and the two got to talking about the ideal handbag. Birkin wanted capacity, structure, and handles.
While today’s Birkin bags have been altered slightly since the original debut, many features are still intact. The original 40 cm size has been scaled slightly to 35 cm, and there is no longer a shoulder strap on today’s model.
Jane Birkin put her original model up for auction in 1994 to benefit charity, but it has changed hands just twice since, until now.