Born from an in-flight mishap, the Hermès Birkin turned greater than a purse—it redefined luxurious, exclusivity, and want. Creator Marisa Meltzer explains the start of the Birkin in her new e book “It Girl.”
The Hermès Birkin might now stand as the last word image of standing and exclusivity, however it started by likelihood — the results of a spilled purse and a serendipitous assembly on a brief flight.
“The birth of the Birkin is a meet-cute in a romantic comedy. It’s an adorable story,” started Marisa Meltzer, creator of the brand new e book “It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin.”
Meltzer’s e book, launched Oct. 7, delves into the creation of the Birkin and the lifetime of its namesake, Jane Birkin, the English-born actress and singer who turned a French icon.
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Actress Jane Birkin is the muse that impressed the world’s most desired purse. (Jean-Louis Atlan/Sygma/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
“So, everything is falling out as she is trying to stuff it in the overhead compartment.”
“Her seatmate on the flight says something like, ‘you know, you should think about getting a bag with at least pockets or a zipper or something,’” Meltzer defined.
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Jane Birkin carried wicker baskets as purses for years earlier than Hermès made the Birkin purse for her. (Bertrand Laforet/Gamma-Rapho/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
Birkin reportedly quipped, “When Hermès makes a bag with pockets and a zipper, I’ll use it.” The person replied, “But I am Hermès.”
Meltzer defined that the person seated subsequent to Birkin was Jean-Louis Dumas of the Hermès household, then the top of the model.
“So they took out the only paper they could find, which was an air sickness bag, and she started drawing what her ideal bag would look like. At the time, it was the mid-’80s, and she had a baby, so her design was kind of like a glorified diaper bag,” Meltzer stated.
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Jane Birkin had three daughters. (James Andanson/Sygma/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
Et voilà, the Birkin was born.
The bag, made in 1984 and marked with Birkin’s initials, would go on to turn out to be way over a style accent. Since then, the Birkin has joined the ranks of gold, artwork, and actual property as a spot to park wealth.
“There’s this mystique to Hermès,” stated Meltzer, noting that the method of shopping for one of many model’s most coveted purses is “deliberately confusing and mysterious.”
“There are no easy shortcuts,” she added. “People can try to buy a bag online that looks like a Birkin, or choose another designer’s version that seems suspiciously similar, but there’s no real substitute for the real thing.”
The unique Hermès Birkin bag made for actress Jane Birkin. (Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
Earlier this yr, the unique Birkin fetched greater than $10 million at public sale — a record-breaking sale that made it probably the most invaluable style piece ever bought in Europe, in accordance with Sotheby’s.
“She had a wild and wonderful career and is definitely worth knowing about,” Meltzer stated of Jane Birkin, the muse who impressed the world’s most desired purse.
