Behind the Birkin: The story of Jane Birkin

I hope you have all been well! The days of quarantine are coming to an end, and I have to say I am pretty sad about it! I really made the most of quarantine life and will cherish the few months we had to escape the rat race. I am fully aware that not everyone was as lucky and there has been so much loss. I acknowledge the worldwide sadness and pray for those affected by this horrible contagion.

Today, I am writing about one of my favourite bags… (the title gives it away). I have written a few blogs on the Birkin, the allure of Hermes and how to bag a Birkin (no pun intended). This blog is another in my quarantine series to highlight the history of the Birkin and how it came to life. This story was actually one my mum shared with me many years ago and it goes like this…

Jane Birkin was a British model, songwriter and singer in the 60s. In 1981 Birkin was on a flight, when her bag broke and all her belongings fell out. Who else was to be on this same flight…? Only the late chief executive of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. This serendipitous airplane encounter gave life to the Birkin bag. The idea was to create a bag that would be suitable for jet-setting women with too much to carry… et Voilà La Birkin!

Although it is difficult to imagine now (as women would give up an arm for a Birkin), the bag was far from popular. Chanel dominated the “it-bag” market in 1980s. The Birkin bag was introduced in 1984, but it did not take off until the mid-to-late 1990s. Sacré Bleu…I wish I had bought them all!

The iconic tote really took off when it was used in a ‘Sex and the City’ episode. There has forever been a ‘waiting list’, now known as the ‘wish list’, for a Birkin. The episode sees Samantha use a client’s connection to beat the long waiting list, and bag herself one of the coveted bags. After this episode aired, the Birkin’s actual waiting list tripled in length… Thanks for that!

However, in recent years, Ms. Birkin has not been so accepting of Hermès. PETA revealed in July 2015 that Hermes had been sourcing their crocodile skins from unethical sources. Ms. Birkin publicly acknowledged the report and asked for her name to be unassociated with the handbag. However, Hermes conducted meetings and investigations, and it was settled that their measures for sourcing skins were ethical.

So, for all Hermès lovers out there… this is how your favourite bag came to life!

I hope you enjoyed the read

xxx