Many also associate the late Jane Birkin’s name with the famous “Birkin Bag”. The story behind the luxury handbag of the same name from Hermès – and why the actress and singer was not only happy about its success.
This article first appeared on RTL.de
Women and men, actors and singers, influencers and fashion icons from all over the world know and love the most famous luxury handbag in the world: We are talking here – of course – about the so-called “Birkin Bag”, which was released on July 16th late Jane Birkin. But why actually?
The world-famous bag was created on a flight from Paris to London. In 1981, actress Jane Birkin complained to her neighbor that there was no practical weekend handbag for mothers. She described the perfect model down to the last detail. What she didn’t know, however, was that her seated next to her was none other than Hermès boss Jean-Louis Dumas († 72). He quickly implemented the idea.
“Creative as he was and blessed with a keen eye, Dumas immediately sketched a rectangular and spacious bag made of soft leather with polished edges and saddle stitching,” says the history of the Birkin Bag on the official Hermès website.
The Birkin Bag has a highlight – for mums
The highlight: The bag was equipped with a special compartment for baby bottles, just like Birkin wanted. And so the story took its course: During a later visit to the Hermès atelier, the fashion icon was given the finished bag as a gift and in return gave her name for it.
Over the years, the singer has been gifted five variations of the Birkin Bag, but she had them all auctioned off for a good cause. According to the auction search engine “Barnebys”, one of her bags went under the hammer for a whopping 137,500 euros. Complete madness and a complete success. But Birkin didn’t seem to have seen it that way…
Jane Birkin – more than just a bag
In an interview with the magazine stern Jane Birkin revealed in 2013: “I’m afraid in the end only this handbag will be remembered”.
Yes, this bag enjoys cult status, is sold for exorbitant sums and connoisseurs know that you sometimes have to wait years for such a bag. But if it weren’t for Birkin and her courage to speak up, this bag wouldn’t exist either.
Because: Aside from her singing and acting career, Birkin was a feminist who showed her breasts in interviews, made scantily clad films and was open about her relationships and marriages – she was the perfect symbol of the seventies. Open, bold, feminine.
Birkin Bag celebrated the famous scene in “Sex and the City” – with a funny faux pas
So it’s no wonder that the classic bag appears again and again in a wide variety of films and series. The Birkin Bag probably celebrated the most famous scene in “Sex and the City”: Sarah Jessica Parker was six months pregnant with her son James at the time. And to keep that from getting out, film designer Patricia Field decided to place a blue Birkin bag in front of Carrie’s stomach so no one could see. But then the meltdown!
Sarah Jessica Parker then revealed in a Vogue interview: “This isn’t a real Hermès bag, just so you know. This bag only had one job to do and it didn’t work out!” Because: Shortly thereafter, pictures of the pregnant Parker went around the world. “If it had been a real Hermès bag, maybe it would have worked better,” the actress joked.
Jane Birkin managed to turn an entire industry upside down with a simple idea – never again has a designer managed to bring such a product onto the market – and make so much money with it.
Died in Paris
Singer, style icon, muse: Jane Birkin is dead – her life in pictures
Jane Birkin made herself immortal
Jane Birkin was an icon who not only wrapped the French around her finger, but the whole world. And yes, maybe we’ll remember that bag forever, but only because there was Jane Birkin. With this, the actress fixed herself immortal and forever on our arms.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
