First Birkin Bag in Paris auctioned: also offered Lauren Sánchez at the auction?

At an auction in Paris, the prototype of the legendary Birkin Bag from Hermès changed hands and broke several records. The bag, once owned by the legendary actress and singer Jane Birkin (1946-2023), auctioned for seven million euros. It is the most expensive handbag ever sold at an auction. The fees of the auction house are added, the bidder even pays 8.6 million euros.

The starting price was one million dollars. This was followed by an intensive, ten -minute bidding between nine interested parties, in the end the iconic bag went to a private collector from Japan. However, an extremely prominent personality is said to have been in the race: Lauren Sánchez (55), freshly trusted wife by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (61). A source trusted with the auction therefore claims that it was ultimately outbided.

Sánchez ‘spokesman immediately denied the claim. The story is “completely wrong,” quotes “Ropp Report”.

The auctioned bag is unique: a prototype that Hermès made especially for Jane Birkin – with a firmly attached shoulder strap and integrated nail clipper. It is precisely this casual boho charm, Birkin. Her initials “JB” can still be seen on the leather, as well as residues of stickers with which they supported organizations such as Médecins du Monde or Unicef. The bag was offered exactly the condition in which Birkin used it – including visible signs of wear.

The British-French artist designed the iconic pocket model in 1984 together with the then Hermès boss Jean-Louis Dumas (1938-2010) during a flight from Paris to London on a spitting bag of the airline. Birkin had complained that she has no bag that was big enough for life with a child. The spontaneous sketch became one of the most famous luxury symbols in the world. “It was never my intention to trigger a hype. I just wanted a bag that my whole life fits,” said Jane Birkin.

Jane Birkin had already sold the auctioned original bag for a good cause in 1994 to support AIDS research. Since then it has been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, among others. The previous owner had acquired the pocket in 2000 at an auction.