7 Secret Details About Jane Birkin's Original Birkin Revealed
Learn more about the unique details of Jane Birkin's Original Hermès Birkin.
History of the Most Famous Bag: Jane Birkin's Original Hermès Birkin
The origins of the Birkin lie in the famous meeting between Jane Birkin and Jean-Louis Dumas on an Air France flight. Forty years ago, this chance encounter sparked the creation of a new bag design, tailored to suit the actress and singer’s busy lifestyle: The Original Hermès Birkin. Traveling with her very young daughter Charlotte, Jane complained to the Hermès director that she couldn’t find a bag big enough for her daily life. When Jane discussed the requirements for her ideal bag with Jean-Louis Dumas, her main concern was capacity. She had found handbags at the time to be too small and instead she preferred carrying a large wicker basket, she had bought in in Portugal in the late 1960’s. The wicker basket and its contents had accidentally fallen on Dumas, who was sitting next to her on the plane - so he understood Jane's need for a better alternative. It was then Dumas decided to create a bag for her which would become the most famous bag of all time.
Hermès offered her the bag in 1985 and asked Jane for permission to name the model after her. The Original Birkin was a prototype gifted to Jane and had a number of unique characteristics that differ from the model that would be sold by Hermès. The Original Birkin is not only unique because of its provenance but it also differs significantly from the bags Hermès would later sell. Sotheby’s handbag specialists had the opportunity to inspect the Original Birkin and discovered 7 unique design elements of the Original Birkin that were never replicated together in future Birkin bags.
7 Secret Details About Jane's Original Birkin Bag
Jane Birkin's Original Birkin bag borrowed elements from Hermès’ existing sac Haut A Courroies (HAC). The first Hermès Birkin was truly a prototype with 7 key features that, taken together, were never replicated on any other Birkin bag. The current version of the Birkin, finalized a couple of decades ago, bear none of these features.
The Original Birkin, inseparable from Jane Birkin, became her favorite accessory for nearly 10 years. The condition of the Original Birkin reflects the many years of use by Jane. Her Birkin served as a symbol for all the causes she defended. The Original Birkin even bears the marks of the stickers she stuck to it, in support of Médecins du Monde and Unicef. During Jane's life, she would be gifted 4 additional Birkin bags from Hermès but none of them we exactly like the Orginal Birkin. Jane Birkin kept her Original Birkin for nearly ten years before donating it to a charity auction. In October 1994, Jane donated her Original Birkin to support the Association Solidarité Sida, a leading AIDS charity organization in France. It was subsequently sold again at auction at Poulain Le Fur in May 2000 and has been in private hands ever since.
Read on to learn about each of the 7 secret details of the Original Birkin.
1. Shoulder Strap
The most unique feature of the Original Birkin was the attached shoulder strap. The Original Birkin features a shoulder strap that was not retained on the commercialized model. A limited edition Birkin with a detachable shoulder strap was produced in the 1990s, but the Original Birkin is the only one with a non-removable shoulder strap.
2. Size
While the first Birkin bags created by Hermès were the Birkin 40 followed by the Birkin 35, Jane Birkin's Original Birkin was a hybrid of the two sizes. Jane's Original Birkin was the width and height of a Birkin 35 but the depth of a Birkin 40.
3. Hardware
Jan's Original Birkin had gilded brass hardware, which was replaced by gold plated hardware with a check mark when the Birkin was first launched. Hermès would also later introduce more hardware options including palladium, rose gold and ruthenium.
4. Metal Rings (Pontet)
Jane's first Birkin had closed metal rings, similar to the Pontets on the HAC. When Hermès launched the Birkin bag commercially, the rings or Pontets were open at the bottom until the early 1990s. The current Birkin bags have open top rings.
5. Bottom Studs
The bag’s feet, or bottom studs, are smaller on Jane's Original Birkin than those eventually used by Hermès to manufacture Birkin bags.
6. Inner Zip
During the production of this prototype, Hermès still purchased its zippers from the “éclair” company. In the 1990s, Hermès began a partnership with the riri company, which still manufactures all the zippers for Birkin bags today.
7. Stamped J.B
The Jane's Original Birkin was inseparable from Jane Birkin and branded with her initials J.B on the front flap of the bag. The Birkin became her favorite accessory. She would usually cradle it with both arms and took it with her everywhere. The condition of the Original Birkin reflects the many years of use by the actress and singer.
Final Fun Fact: The Nail Clipper
Famed for her sexy tomboyish dress sense and casual style, Jane Birkin was never one for long painted nails and so she had a nail clipper on a chain hanging from the base of the shoulder strap, inside of her bag, for easy access and regular use.
Jane Birkin's Original Birkin Exhibit at Sotheby's
Jane's Original Birkin will be on view from October Saturday 12 until 31 October, 2024 at Sotheby's. The Original Birkin is exhibited in the exact condition in which Jane had left it after almost 10 years of use. It is the first time that Jane Birkin’s Original Hermès Birkin will be exhibited in France. The Exhibit entitled: ‘Excellence à la Française’ is dedicated to the finest examples of French artistic production over the last millennium including the Original Hermès Birkin owned by Jane Birkin. The exhibit is located at Sotheby's New Paris Headquarters at 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
The Original Hermès Birkin has been previously exhibited at New York’s Museum of Modern Art as part of the show Items : Is Fashion Modern ? in 2018 and again in 2020 at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the exhibition Bags Inside Out.
Buying and Selling an Hermès Birkin at Sotheby's
Sotheby's can assist with buying or selling your next Hermès Birkin. Sotheby's handbag auctions feature rare and collectible Birkin bags. We also have a carefully curated selection of Birkin bags in pristine and excellent condition, available for immediate shipping. Expect to find the most popular Hermès Birkins in leather and exotic materials, new colors with 2024 date stamps, classic neutrals in all sizes and rare limited edition bags. We accept Birkin bags for consignment at auction and marketplace. Prices for Birkin bags range from $20,000 to $35,000 for leather while exotic Birkin bags are generally priced at $40,000 plus with Himalaya Birkin bags priced over $100,000.
- Browse Hermès Birkin available for immediate delivery.
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