Paris simply witnessed a historic trend second. The very first Hermès Birkin bag, crafted for actress and singer Jane Birkin herself, simply bought at Sotheby’s public sale for a jaw-dropping $10.1 million. That’s proper—this isn’t simply any luxurious accent. It’s the unique prototype of what would go on to turn out to be probably the most iconic purse in trend historical past.
Again in 1984, Jane Birkin had a now-legendary encounter on an Air France flight with Jean-Louis Dumas, then CEO of Hermès. Her basket bag spilled its chaotic contents mid-flight, and the 2 began sketching what would turn out to be the primary Birkin bag—on an airsickness bag, no much less. That sketch sparked a trend revolution.
Now, that very bag—full with Birkin’s initials and even her private nail clipper nonetheless hooked up—has turn out to be probably the most precious trend merchandise ever bought at public sale in Europe, beating out historic items like Napoleon Bonaparte’s hat.
The ultimate hammer value? A wild 8.6 million euros, or roughly $10.1 million together with charges. The successful bidder was a non-public collector from Japan. Even earlier than bidding started, friends on the Paris public sale—many rocking their very own Birkins—thought it’d hit $1 or $2 million. However when the auctioneer opened at $1.7 million, the room gasped. From there, it was a bidding frenzy.
The bag’s earlier proprietor, Catherine Benier, a classic store proprietor in Paris, had purchased the bag in 2000 after Birkin bought it at a charity public sale in 1994. Reflecting on the second, Benier mentioned she was “astonished” by the ultimate sale and touched by how passionately collectors went after the piece.
So sure, the Birkin bag isn’t only a flex—it’s now a multi-million-dollar artifact with a backstory that begins with a spilled diaper bag on a flight and ends with public sale historical past. Solely on the earth of excessive trend.
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