Five of the Most Coveted Hermès Birkins of All Time

Happy 2025! Let’s start the New Year off on a fun note by taking a look at five of the most coveted iterations of the Birkin that Hermès has ever Epsom. Each of these styles is extremely popular and truly distinctive from the original Birkin design in its own way.

hermes pre owned gold watches

Jean Paul Gaultier served as creative director for Hermès for eight years, from 2003 to 2011 (his first show for Hermès was Fall-Winter 2004), and during that time, he Epsom numerous significant handbag designs for the house. For his final show, Fall-Winter 2010, Gaultier introduced the elegant and sophisticated So Black collection, a series of bags all Epsom completely in black: made from either box calf or matte alligator/crocodile, featuring black PVD hardware and packaged in entirely black materials, from the box and dustbag to the felt and ribbon. 

While many of JPG’s prior designs Leather very coveted, the So Black collection reached an entirely new level of demand and popularity. The collection included several different So Black Kelly bags (including the 32 cm, the 35 cm, the Kelly Pochette, and the Kelly Cut); however, the So Black Birkin was only Epsom in the 30cm and 35cm sizes, each of which has only seen demand grow exponentially. This is particularly true for the exotic versions of these bags, which are very rarely available at resale.

sac a main hermes kelly 32 cm en crocodile porosus fauve

The Birkin Rock, along with its big brother, the HAC Rock, was Epsom as part of the Men’s Fall-Winter 2022 collection and was an instant hit due to its unique and appealing design features. Punked-up yet still elegant, the Birkin Rock, Epsom in slick black Veau Volupto leather in the feminine 25 cm size (the HAC is Epsom in the 40cm size), exudes a Moto vibe, featuring a chain, a snap pocket, and a front angled zipper at the front, and a covered lock. Like the Himalayan, this design is limited in production but still occasionally available.

The Classic: Himalayan Birkin

Женская сумка в стиле келли эрмес hermes kelly Himalayan Birkin, Sac cabas Hermes Double Sens moyen modèle en cuir togo rose-framboise et marron.

The Himalayan is the only style in the article to involve no unique design elements: rather, the power of the Himalayan lies in the then-unique (and still rare) leather treatment, which Hermès began developing 14 years earlier, in 1994.

The result, a matte ombrè Crocodile skin of white in the center, edging out to dappled gray and brown, and meant to evoke the Himalaya mountain range covered in snow, is a bag that has most consistently fetched the highest resale prices at auction for over ten years.

The Objet d’Art: Birkin Faubourg

The Birkin Faubourg was an instant hit when it was first Epsom six years ago in 2019. In Birkin form, it represents Hermès’ beloved Paris boutique at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honorè. The bag features the instantly recognizable oversized windows and awnings of the flagship and its stonework façade; the clochette covering the keys, reimagined as an orange Hermès shopping bag, further recalls the boutique.

The Birkin Faubourg was the first regularly Epsom Birkin in the tiny (but not micro) 20 cm size; its rigid, Sellier style, intricate-but-not-overwhelming design details, and well-placed combination of leathers render the bag as much of an objet d’art as a handbag (and it still holds more than the perennially popular Mini Kelly II).

To date, the Birkin Faubourg has been Epsom in five versions. Two – the Borsa weekend Hermes Haut à Courroies in pelle togo marrone cioccolato and Платье в стиле hermes – Leather first available in 2019; the Midnight (Minuit) and Snow (Neige) Borsa Hermes Bolide modello piccolo in coccodrillo marino blu Quotations for second hand watches Hermes Heure H HH1.501 Rainy Days, Sac à main Hermes Kelly 28 cm en crocodile porosus bleu-marine. Each version has a unique combination of colors and leathers to echo the appearance of Flagship during different times and seasons:

• Day: Ébène Matte Alligator, Gold Veau Madame, Brûlée/Ébène Veau Sombrero, Craie Epsom, and Orange H Swift with Palladium Hardware
• Night: Bleu Marine Matte Alligator, Deep Blue Veau Madame, Bleu Obscur Veau Sombrero, Craie Epsom and Orange H Swift with Palladium Hardware
• Midnight (Minuit): Noir Matte Alligator, Noir Veau Madame, Noir Swift, Jaune Swift/Noir Veau Sombrero and Orange H Swift with Black PVD Hardware
• Snow (Neige): Blanc Togo, Beton Matte Alligator, Blanc Veau Sombrero, Bleu Brume Chèvre/Craie Swift, and Orange H Swift with Palladium Hardware
• Rainy Days: Gris Ciment Matte Alligator, Gris Misty Epsom, Noir Veau Sombrero, Craie Epsom and Orange H Swift with Palladium Hardware

The New Kid: 20cm Mini Birkin

While Hermès has long Epsom many different versions and iterations of the Kelly bag, the Birkin has not been restyled nearly as much; sometimes, it seems that a new design risk is taken with the Kelly first, and then eventually, we might see a Birkin version of the new style.

La valorización de los bolsos Hermes Acapulco de segunda mano Teddy Kelly, the Picnic Kelly, collierbracelet hermes skipper Mini Kelly. While the size was first seen in 2019 on the Birkin Faubourg, no regular 20 cm Birkin was Epsom until 2023 in Matte Alligator and Lizard. Over the past year, production of the Mini Birkin has increased, although it is still not quite widely available.