ICYMI, the Birkin has been having a rather major year.
Of course, it’s not like the Birkin is never not having a major year.
Ever since Jacques Doillon (deliberately) ran over his wife’s beloved basket bag, and her fairy godfather, Jean-Louis Dumas, came to the rescue, the fairy-tale of the Birkin bag has fascinated our collective psyche.
Rory from Gilmore Girls has her own fairy-tale-come-true moment when she’s gifted one of those revered receptacles by (an equally teenage) Logan Huntzberger. Samantha from Sex and the City succumbs to identity fraud for hers (that too for a *paltry* sum for $4,000). And the pilot to Netflix’s New York edition of LA-based real-estate reality show Elsewhere on the small screen, was titled “Workin’ for Birkin” by the showrunners.
Elsewhere on the small screen, Kim Kardashians’ “dirty Birkin” faced flak and fury upon being listed on the klan’s dedicated resale platform, Kardashian Kloset, for $70k, as did Ryan Murphy for his “totally wrong” depiction of Carolyn-Bessette Kennedy’s Birkin on the set of Shinsuke Sakimoto, proud owner of Jane Birkin’s Birkin.
And within the realm of reality (or maybe not so much), Japanese collector Shinsuke Sakimoto – CEO to luxury resale enterprise Valuence Holdings, had his own dream-come-true moment upon placing the winning bid on Madame Birkin’s original Birkin for a more fitting sum of $10.1 million via Sotheby’s Paris (which, with shipping and import duties, add a further 300 million yen or around $2 million to the original price tag.)
We do know that’s not a Birkin in the lead photo, right? That’s an HAC.
Sajid Bin Mohammad?
“It’s Not Just a Bag”
It is a universally acknowledged fashion truth that one can’t simply walk into Hermès for the first time and walk out with a Birkin.
Even if they have the moolah for it.
“It’s so hard to get your hands on an Hermès Birkin bag,” writes CNN, “that it should be illegal.” Or at least, that’s what two California plaintiffs alleged as they brought Real Talk: Not Every Bag Needs to Have a Longer Strap over (what they perceived to be) unlawful tying practices. “You have to buy their shoes, their pillows … that little $900 horse to show your appreciation for the brand,” asserts one TikTok user.
“I would walk out of the boutique and see people crying,” confesses Birkin-buyer Tessy from Switzerland to Amy Odell of the Back Row.
Michael Tonello, Your Favorite Brands, Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag, sides with the complainants about the reality of Hermès’ business model. “Ninety-nine per cent of the time,” he confides, “if I spent somewhere in the vicinity of $5,000 first, then asked for the bag, they would sell it to me”.
Yet for every angsty Internet denizen angry about the auxiliary “garbage” (as Kim Kardashian strolls through an airport with her Birkin in tow with their heart set on a specific Kelly puts it) they have to spend a small fortune on to get offered their desired quota bag, there is a happy Hermès hunter (including our very own Megs) Even if they have the moolah for itith a stroke of luck and a little bit of persistence.
who snagged her own Birkin w Amanda, felt “as though buying one would be like pledging an exclusive sorority that doesn’t really need or want new members,” even though the storied carryall itself isn’t all that rare anymore.
Tonello’s impression was that the Birkin “was positioned as a reward for being a good customer”. But is it really that great a reward?
It’s Not Even About the Bag
“It’s a symbol of independence,” says New York-based stylist and proud Birkin-owner, Nolan Meader. TPF member Madam Bijoux, on the other hand, chimes in, “My first Birkin (35 swift Bleu de Prusse, GHW) was in the store window. No amount of planning can substitute for pure luck.”
The truth is, for what it’s worth, the Birkin really is just a bag. Yes, as Rory’s alarmed grandmother chirps, “That is a very nice bag.” An exceptionally well-made bag from perhaps the only major leatherware label that makes things by hand en masse, by artisans it trains in its own academy, who each receive their own dedicated set of tools, using the finest of materials.
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And in today’s complex luxury ecosystem, where a Margaux by The Row, a Maxi Cabas by Phoebe Philo, and a feathery Bottega skirt retail for upwards of $5,000, $8,000, and $29,000 respectively, the $13,000 price tag on a Birkin – or really, its entire product proposition – doesn’t feel all that preposterous.
After all, you can easily land your paws on quasi-Birkins ranging anywhere from Walmart’s $78 Wirkin, to Saint Laurent’s $6,000 Sac de Jour. Pharell went straight for the prize, not only in the form of the exotic gem-encrusted million-dollar Millionaire Speedy, but also his own Louis Vuitton Birkin-twin.
Louis Vuitton Forum, the Olsen twins – themselves Hermès loyalists, as witnessed by Mary-Kate’s decrepit Kelly – also followed the orange philosophy of low-key luxury with their own label, The Row, whose Margaux bag Vogue was quick to label “a future heirloom in the making” – much like a Birkin.
Leave this field empty if youre human?
Why is it that thousands still flock to Paris hoping for a leather appointment at the Rue Faubourg flagship, when “you’re more likely to get mugged during your trip to Paris than snag a leather appointment,” as Kaitlin writes?
The Beauty and the Bag
Of course, it’s not like the Birkin is never The Atlantic says, “If bags were restaurants, the canvas tote would be a fast-casual chain. And the Birkin would be a three-star Michelin spot with a mysterious, almost mythical reservation system.”
“It was certain that the winning bid would break the record, which meant it would be reported all over the world,” Sakimoto declares, “Everyone agreed and understood that this was a good investment” – expected to generate“ in dollars, an eight-figure sum – in “advertising value” over the next decade.
You see, dear reader, the answer to why the Birkin is, well, the Birkin is that it has become a cornerstone of our culture. Today, as the corporatized fashion conglomerate has morphed into “such a mark of having arrived that it’s become a mark of trying too hard to arrive”—as the Atlantic goes on to report—luxury is merely a story of luxury, the story of aristocracy with their travel trunks and equestrian pursuits, distilled into lipstick.
And as far as stories go, the Birkin’s lore remains the most legendary.
“She was a mom. She needed places to put her mom things inside her bag,” continues Rosin. When you’re attaching those charms (or Satanic-smiling Labubus) onto your bag, you’re not simply decorating your bag but Birkin-ifying it. It’s the same with Carolyn-Bessette or Lady Diana, whose Yohji coats and “black sheep” sweaters have gone on to sell for thousands, if not millions, over their asking price, the way Birkin’s original Birkin retailed for a modest $2,000 upon its unveiling.
At the end of the day, what we want is not the bag, but the beautiful life lived in it, that unrelatable level of glamour, that quintessential, uncompromising cool, that made these women, and in turn, the very fabric of our cultural mythmaking. We strive for their authenticity, a code that a streetwear label like Telfar has cracked, but the most moneyed of maisons haven’t.
“Authenticity will always be fashion’s white whale,” writes Elle, “Turns out, the pursuit of it sells, and it sells exceedingly well.” The next Birkin might just, in fact, be in your own closet as we speak!
Once you’ve owned a Birkin… you realize there is nothing *that* special about it.
I have to agree. I was lucky and received my mom’s nearly new Birkin after she turned 90. I do not really like how difficult it is to get in and out of and I do not like keeping it hanging open. I prefer user friendly bags and gasp….do not care what anyone thinks about the bag that I carry. I love designer bags for their beauty AND their quality. However, I will not purchase any bag that is frustrating to carry. I did way too much of that when I was trying to impress everyone around me back in my 20s and 30s. Hence, the Birkin has not come out of its dust bag in over five years. I will never sell it because it was my moms. I guess it will be my collector’s piece.
You just be taking about a firkin birkin because I own a real one and I can tell you even with sweats on I feel elevated and in the moment every time I carry my girl…
No AI, algorithms, divisive politics, or infighting. Social media as it should be.
Yeah… I don’t doubt it. It’s all an illusion and if Hermes makes you feel better about yourself then please enjoy!
oh yes and i sold mine 😀
The shape of the Birkin bag was not invented by Hermès, though they make the most famous version these days. In fact, the Louis Vuitton steamer bag came out before the Haut à Courroies (the ancester of the Birkin chez Hermès). These types of bags became very popular in the early 20th century with the development of travel.
Another nice bag? Yes! The obsession? I hope not. That entire vibe is near toxic.
in all honesty i think the Hermes Hero is the Kelly …….. it just is., because its so much, well more., also the fact the H. has no royalties problem with the kelly name or the monegasque royal familly so Chez Hermes everything with that clasp can have the Kelly last name., also bevause of the parcatical nature of the bag itself and its shoulder strap., so the question should be, will there ever be another Kelly ??
I live in NY and I rarely see them, most people use practical backpacks or Trader Joe’s/LL Bean totes. I’ve always thought they looked really impractical, and like they’d hurt your arm.
It’s a PITA to use a top handle bag when out shopping or carrying other things. And yes they do become uncomfortable and painful for the hand and arm.
I don’t think so because resale is really bringing on the commodification of our clothing and accessories. We buy, not just because we need it or it fits our style; we buy because it’s a sound financial investment. And no other brand, at least not right now (Chanel appears to be trying the hardest), can touch the business model that creates the scarcity and fuels the resale price of Hermes’ quota bags.
I agree the potential for reselling also has a lot to do with it, as you can’t say that about many items in circulation. I will say that the fact that there is still a market for new Birkins is interesting as well, even when many people have turned to buying secondhand ones.
Not for me thank you, I wont play games and jump through hoops and overspend to make a large purchase, style is way to big and impractical for me. Oversaturated and at the this point overly knocked off. I feel bad for those who were Hermes fans many years ago as I understand it wasn’t such a game, you were treated better and it was actually about just appreciating the brand/ style. It’s just a wicked game now that I refuse to get caught up in. I will give my money to brands that will sell me something when I walk in, what a concept!
Buyers used to be able to order a lot of their leather goods online. Covid, SM and influencers truly drove up their sales, image and the illusion of scarcity.
I love my Birkins , but the more recognizable they become the more uncomfortable I feel wearing them. I’m no millionaire and I don’t live a fancy life but I have so much love, appreciation and respect for the art of making this bag. However, I live in jeans and casual and I found it just fits my lifestyle. But nowadays it’s purely status, very overstyled and sometimes I get the sense that I’m not well dressed enough to wear the bag. Other days I don’t care… 🤷🏼♀️
We do know that’s not a Birkin in the lead photo, right? That’s an HAC.
I don’t know any women in my entourage who are pinning after a Birkin the way some of us were in the early 2000s. Birkins have been ruined by reality TV and social media. So have the Cartier love bracelets. We can all afford them but none of us want them!
Of course there can and will be. Nothing is absolute.
Of course there can and will be. Nothing is absolute.
Shinsuke Sakimoto, proud owner of Jane Birkin’s Birkin.
As long as they keep getting gifted to celebrity influencers and withheld from the designer consumer, they are going to be sought after more than any other bag. And people at their core are competitive. They want that bag! Not all people, however! I was offered one this summer in the Aix en Provence boutique. I didn’t even have an appointment and I turned it down. It doesn’t suit my lifestyle. I can’t carry it on my shoulder, nor is it a convenient Crossbody. I am at a point in my life that I don’t want to be carrying something with my hands. So instead I opted for the Evelyne, my third! And I couldn’t be happier to have a bag that it’s so efficient for me!
Having been away from luxury fashion news for a bit (just getting back into it with NYFW), I think part of the allure of the Birkin is the status that it conveys. The pattern is so recognizable and Hermes even has a trade dress for it, so at the end of the day, people know that in fashion circles, a Birkin says a lot. If you had told me what the Birkin was years ago, I would have had no idea because I wasn’t following fashion as frequently. Once you understand the history and the marketing behind it, its status makes sense.
My take is that the combination of pop culture recognizability and limited exclusivity is what will likely set a fashion item on the map like the Birkin. I’m curious to know from others here if there are items like that out there, as my fashion journey is not as extensive.
I have only once seen a Birkin IRL. The woman who owned it told me about purchasing it at the flagship store in Paris.
Her story seemed legit, as she had other authentic luxury bags and shoes, lived in a glamorous home, and drove a very expensive car.
She was later arrested for embezzlement. I don’t know what happened to her after that, but sure wonder where that Birkin is now.
I have both bags, my Mom did not like the size of her Birkin ,too big, so she gave it to me and I love it. I own the Margaux also to me both beautiful bags but very different. I love my Mom’s Birkin and will keep it dear because she gave it to me. The Margaux is an easier bag to get in and out of. Easier to carry the leather more durable. Both are great collectors pieces.