Auctions: icon with patina: The first Birkin Bag is auctioned

She is a little scratched, almost a little damaged- and yet legendary: In Paris, at Sotheby’s, the handbag under the hammer that is considered an primary mother of all so-called IT bags- handbags that are sought-after fashion and status symbols. An estimate was not mentioned. But it is already speculated among collectors that she could achieve a record price this Thursday (July 10).

The first Birkin Bag was designed in 1984 together with the British actress and singer Jane Birkin (1946-2023) and is less an accessory than a piece of lived myth. It was created from a random encounter between Birkin and the former head of the luxury brand Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas.

Legend of a fashion myth

The story has long been legend: Birkin traveled with her daughter Charlotte in a plane from Paris to London in 1984 when the contents of her willow basket accidentally tipped onto Dumas’ lap. Birkin, who always found her handbags too small, made the Hermès boss think-and inspired him with a bag that was big enough, practical and at the same time elegant.

For the Sotheby’s expert Morgane Halimi, the original birthing bag has developed into a pop culture phenomenon that embodies luxury in a particularly sophisticated form. In fact, this model is a real one -off: it was made by hand, has an shoulder strap (an idea that was later rejected), is particularly deeply designed, provided with brass fittings and even contains a built -in nail clipper.