History of the Hermès Birkin 20
The first Hermès Birkin 20 was released in 2019 as a limited edition called the Birkin 20 Faubourg or also referred to as the "House Birkin". The front of the bag was designed to model its flagship boutique at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. The first two Birkin 20 Faubourgs produced were named Day in mostly brown and Night in mostly blue. The bags are constructed with Matte Alligator flaps and Madame calfskin bodies, decorated with Swift window frames, Epsom glass and a Sombrero leather base. The awnings on all Faubourg Birkin 20 bags are done in the brand’s iconic color: Orange H Swift, which matches the little Hermès shopping bag that replaces the key-holding clochette. The limited edition Birkin 20 Faubourg is also in the more structured Sellier model. The Birkin 20 is also referred to as the Mini Birkin and even the Baby Birkin
In 2021, Hermès released two new versions of the Birkin 20 Faubourg called Midnight or Minuit and Snow or Neige. The Midnight is mostly black with Matte Alligator Flap and PVD Hardware that was last used in the So Black collection. The Snow version is the only Faubourg with a Matte Alligagor body and Togo leather flap. The Day, Night and Midnight Birkin 20 Faubourgs with Matte Alligator flaps retail for about $30,000 while the Snow Birkin 20 Faubourg with a Matte Alligator body retails for $48,000 in the boutique. The Day, Night and Midnight Birkin 20 Faubourg are currently selling for between $150,000 - $180,000 in the secondary market. The Snow Birkin 20 Faubourg sold for as high as $400,000 in early 2022 but is now selling between $280,000-$300,000. We anticipate prices could decline further for all of the Birkin 20 Faubourg editions in 2024 as Hermès bag collectors move on to the newest Birkin 20 varitions and other limited edition Hermès bags.
Exotic Birkin 20
The Birkin 20 Sellier in Matte Alligator first became available on the secondary market in 2023. The new variation of the Mini Birkin is 20 centimeter and sellier model as the Birkin 20 Faubourg. It has been spotted in Lizard and Matte Alligator. This limited edition Birkin 20 is the newest obsession for Hermès collectors and we anticipate more color and hardware combinations in 2024. Sotheby's sold a Vert D'eau Matte Alligator Birkin 20 in Hong Kong for just over $115,000 or 889,000 HKD. Similar to other new Limited Edition Hermès bags, we anticipate the price to peak within the first 12 months after release. In 2024, popular neutrals and black with gold hardware could break the early records due to demand for these color and hardware combination.
What's Next for the Mini Birkin
So far the Mini Birkin hasn't been seen in leather but given the newest Birkin 20 Faubourg is leather, we would imagine a leather Birkin 20 will also be coming soon. Given the ongoing demand for the smallest Hermès Mini Kelly 20 in leather, it would make sense the Birkin 20 will also be produced in Epsom leather like the Birkin 25 and Birkin 30 Sellier models. Similar to the first leather Mini Kelly 20 bags, we anticipate an initial frenzy for the leather Birkin 20 due to much larger market for leather versus exotic skin Birkin bags. Leather Hermès Mini Kelly 20 bags that are store fresh have remained steady at $25,000-$30,000 on the secondary market. The retail price for a Mini Kelly 20 is around $8,700 in Epsom and $9,450 in Chevre. The Birkin 20 in leather could also sell for as much as 3x the retail price while exotic bags rarely sell for even 2x retail. With the growing number of limited edition styles produced by Hermès, it's also possible the Birkin 20 will also be produced in new and limited edition models beyond variations of the Birkin 20 Faubourg.
