The Birkin: Fashion’s Favorite Handbag
Written by Erin Abramowicz
The Hermès Birkin bag is revered as an iconic piece of fashion — a symbol of both style and status. The desirable yet unobtainable nature of the bag gives it an alluring sense of elusivity. The price tag that comes with it makes the Birkin more of an investment than a purchase. But how did the Birkin bag become one of the most elite pieces of modern luxury fashion?
Hermès was founded in Paris, France in 1837, originally well known for its craftsmanship in carriages and horse harnesses. In fact, Hermès did not even enter the handbag market until 1922 (History of the Hermès Birkin Bag & How it became so expensive 2022). The Birkin bag itself was not conceptualized until 1984 — nearly 150 years after the company’s founding. The idea for the Hermès Birkin came from an encounter between actress and singer Jane Birkin and the Executive Chairman of Hermès at the time Jean-Louis Dumas. The two were on the same London-bound flight when they were seated next to each other, and Birkin expressed her frustration to Dumas over not being able to find a bag suitable to her lifestyle as a young mother. Hearing this, Dumas was inspired to create a bag for traveling, busy women that could store all of their on-the-go needs, and the Birkin was born (The Birkin, 2022).
Surprisingly, however, the Birkin was not an instant hit. In the 1980s, Chanel dominated the handbag market, and the Birkin did not take off until the dawn of the It-Bag Era of the 1990s. In 2001, a Birkin was featured in an episode of Sex and the City where Samantha Jones drops the name of one of her famous clients to get to the top of the five year wait list for one. After the episode was released, the actual wait list for the Birkin tripled in length, cementing the Birkin’s status as a highly coveted and valuable piece to own (History of the Hermès Birkin Bag & How it became so expensive 2022).
Since then, the Birkin bag has become a favorite of many A-listers. Lady Gaga, Kate Moss, and Kim Kardashian have all been seen modeling a Birkin. Victoria Beckham is rumored to own over 100 of the luxury handbags and Kris Jenner has a closet solely dedicated to her collection of Birkins (Idacavage, 2016). The celebrity appeal of the Birkin has helped to make it so desirable, but acquiring one is no simple task.
One of the most alluring aspects of the Birkin bag is its exclusivity. Hermès has refused to release the number of Birkin bags made each year in order to limit its supply and places a quota on the number of Birkins that can be bought from a single customer (History of the Hermès Birkin Bag & How it became so expensive 2022). Additionally, one cannot simply walk into a Hermès store and purchase one of the luxury handbags. To buy a Birkin, you need to be offered one, typically by spending a lot at Hermès and establishing yourself as an important client or by having an established name in Hollywood. Luxury resale sites such as The RealReal sell authenticated Birkins, albeit used (Houston & Kim, 2021). Even a used Birkin will set you back thousands of dollars.
The hefty price tag of the Birkin makes it more of an investment than a purchase. Both the exclusivity and craftsmanship of the Birkin drive its value. The bags are handcrafted in France, by a group of 180-250 trained artisans. One Birkin can take up to 48 hours of skilled workmanship to make. Because of this, no two are exactly the same. A 2017 study found that the value of the Birkin bag had increased by 500% over the last 35 years (History of the Hermès Birkin Bag & How it became so expensive 2022). Typically, when resold, Birkins retain most of their initial retail value and can be sold for the original price or higher depending on the condition of the bag (Houston & Kim, 2021). Since its debut, the Birkin has only increased in popularity and price. Coveted by many but owned by few, the allure and elusivity of owning one of these luxury bags is as strong as ever, and will only continue to grow.
Sources:
Idacavage, S. (2016, June 17). Fashion history lesson: The iconic hermès birkin. Fashionista. Retrieved November 25, 2022, from https://fashionista.com/2016/06/birkin-bag-history-jane-hermes
Hermès. (2022). The Birkin. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from https://www.hermes.com/us/en/story/106191-birkin/
Houston, J., & Kim, I. A. (2021, June 30). Why Hermès Birkin bags are so expensive, according to a handbag expert. Business Insider. Retrieved November 27, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/hermes-birkin-bag-realreal-handbag-expert-so-expensive-2019-6
Glam Observer. (2022, October 18). History of the Hermès Birkin Bag & How it became so expensive. GLAM OBSERVER. Retrieved November 26, 2022, from https://glamobserver.com/the-history-of-the-hermes-birkin-bag-and-how-it-became-so-expensive/