Birkin Bag
Encyclopedia
The Birkin bag is a handmade purse by Hermès
and named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and elusiveness to the public.
Its prices range from $9,000 to $150,000. Costs escalate according to the type of materials. The bags are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, creating scarcity and, intended or unintended, exclusivity.
was seated next to Jane Birkin
on a flight from Paris to London. She had just placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment of her seat, but the contents fell to the ground, leaving her to scramble to replace the contents. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her, based on an 1892 design. She used the bag for herself then later changed her mind. Nevertheless, the bag has since become an icon.
Each bag is hand-sewn, buffed, painted, and polished, taking several days to finish. An average bag is created in 48 hours. Leathers are obtained from different tanners in France, resulting in varying smells and textures. Because of the individual craftsmanship, other details of the bags may not all match. The company justifies the cost of the Birkin bag, compared to other bags, based on the meticulous craftsmanship and scarcity.
It is highly coveted and, for several years, was reputed for having a waiting list of up to 6 years – the longest wait for any bag in history. As a result of the strong demand, the Birkin bag has a high reselling value in many countries especially Asia. In April 2010, Hermès announced that the waiting list would no longer exist, implying that it is potentially available to all.
Hermès
Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès is a French high fashion house established in 1837, today specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear...
and named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and elusiveness to the public.
Its prices range from $9,000 to $150,000. Costs escalate according to the type of materials. The bags are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, creating scarcity and, intended or unintended, exclusivity.
History
In 1981, Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis DumasJean-Louis Dumas
Jean-Louis Dumas was a French businessman who served as the chairman of the Hermès group from 1978 until 2006. He also served as the company's artistic director. Dumas is credited with turning Hermès into a global luxury brand during his tenure as chairman.Dumas' family founded Hermès in 1837...
was seated next to Jane Birkin
Jane Birkin
Jane Mallory Birkin, OBE is an English-born actress and singer who lives in France. In recent years she has written her own album, directed a film and become an outspoken proponent of democracy in Burma.- Early life :...
on a flight from Paris to London. She had just placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment of her seat, but the contents fell to the ground, leaving her to scramble to replace the contents. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her, based on an 1892 design. She used the bag for herself then later changed her mind. Nevertheless, the bag has since become an icon.
Design
Birkin bags are sold in a range of sizes. Each one may be made to order with different customer-chosen hides, color, and hardware fixtures. There are other individual options, such as diamond-encrusting.- The bag also has a variety of hides such as calf leather, ostrichOstrichThe Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
, crocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
, and lizardLizardLizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
. One of the most expensive is saltwater crocodileSaltwater CrocodileThe saltwater crocodile, also known as estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile, is the largest of all living reptiles...
skin. Bags with smaller scales cost more than those with larger scales. The bag is lined with goat-skin. The color of the interior matches the exterior. Prices for the Birkin bag depend on the color, hardware fixtures, and skin.
- Sizes are 25, 30, 35, and 40 centimeters. The 50- and 55-centimeter bags are meant for travelling. It also comes in a variety of colors such as pink, red, brown, baby blue, navy blue, orange, white, black, and golden tan.
- The bag has a lock and keys. The keys are enclosed in a leather lanyardLanyardA lanyard is a rope or cord exclusively worn around the neck or wrist to carry something. Usually it is used where there is a risk of losing the object or to ensure it is visible at all times. Aboard a ship, it may refer to a piece of rigging used to secure objects...
known as a clochette, carried by looping through a handle. The bag is locked by closing the top flaps over buckle loops, wrapping the buckle straps, or closing the lock on the front hardware. Locks and keys are number-coded. Earlier locks only bore one number on the bottom of the lock. In more recent years, Hermès has added a second number under the Hermes stamp of the lock. These numbers for locks can be the same for hundreds of locks as they are batch numbers in which the locks were made.
- The metallic hardware (the lock, keys, buckle hardware, and base studs) are plated with gold or palladiumPalladiumPalladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
to prevent tarnishing. Hardware is updated regularly to maintain the top quality available in the industry at time of production. The metal lock may be covered with leather as a custom option. Diamonds are another custom addition.
- Hermès offers a "spa treatment" – a reconditioning for overly used bags.
- A "Shooting Star" Birkin has a stamp shaped like a shooting star adjacent to the "Hermès, Paris Made in France" stamp; this is in gold or silver to match the hardware and embossing. Rarely, the stamp is blind or colorless, if the bag is made of one or two leathers on which Hermes does not use metallic stamping. Birkins or other Hermès bags can sometimes be made by independent craftsmen for "personal use" once a year. Every bag bears the stamp of the craftsperson who made the bag. These identifications vary widely but are not different for every bag made. More than one craftsman's stamp on a bag is not uncommon because the stamp is not a serial reference. Fonts and stamping orders may vary depending on the craftsman.
Craftsmanship
The bags are handmade in France by expert artisans. The company's signature saddle stitching, developed in the 1800s, is another distinctive feature.Each bag is hand-sewn, buffed, painted, and polished, taking several days to finish. An average bag is created in 48 hours. Leathers are obtained from different tanners in France, resulting in varying smells and textures. Because of the individual craftsmanship, other details of the bags may not all match. The company justifies the cost of the Birkin bag, compared to other bags, based on the meticulous craftsmanship and scarcity.
Demand
Although the Birkin bag is free of logos, it is one of the most recognized bags in the fashion industry and by the public.It is highly coveted and, for several years, was reputed for having a waiting list of up to 6 years – the longest wait for any bag in history. As a result of the strong demand, the Birkin bag has a high reselling value in many countries especially Asia. In April 2010, Hermès announced that the waiting list would no longer exist, implying that it is potentially available to all.
In Popular Culture
- In Gilmore GirlsGilmore GirlsGilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
Season 6, Episode 6, Logan Huntzberger presents Rory Gilmore with a Birkin Bag in pink. When Rory, not appreciating the magnitude of the gift, suggests that the bag may be the perfect size for her computer cords, Logan suggests that Rory contact his sister to be filled in on the meaning of the bag.
- In the BollywoodBollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film Zindagi Na Milegi DobaraZindagi Na Milegi DobaraZindagi Na Milegi Dobara is a 2011 Bollywood coming-of-age film, directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment. The film features an ensemble cast including Hrithik Roshan as Arjun, Abhay Deol as Kabir and Farhan Akhtar as Imraan...
Arjun buys a Kelly worth Euros 12,000 for his friend's fiancee.
- In Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Charlotte Mearing (played by Frances McDormandFrances McDormandFrances Louise McDormand is an American film and stage actress. She has starred in a number of films, including her Academy Award-winning performance as Marge Gunderson in Fargo, in 1996...
) demands that her assistant bring to her a 'Green Ostrich Birkin'.
- In Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
Season 6, Episode 2 "Last Ex To Brooklyn," WillWill TrumanWilliam Pierce "Will" Truman is a fictional character on the American sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Eric McCormack. He is a gay lawyer who lives in the Upper West Side of New York City with his best friend, Grace Adler.-Fictional character history:...
mentions being on the waiting list (for his mother, so he says) for the Birkin bag after Leo's ex-girlfriend Diane carries it in.
- In Sex and the CitySex and the CitySex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
Season 4, Episode 11 "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda", Samantha JonesSamantha JonesSamantha Jones is the name of:* Samantha Jones * Samantha Jones, British singer* Samantha Jones , a character on the TV show Sex and the City* Sam Jones , a character on the TV show Doctor Who...
uses her client Lucy Liu's name to obtain a Birkin Bag without waiting on the 5 year wait.
- In July 2011,Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani KharHina Rabbani KharHina Rabbani Khar is a Pakistani politician and the current Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Appointed in July of 2011, she is the first female and the youngest person to ever head Pakistani's Ministry of Foreign Affairs....
brought the Hermes Birkin bags on her first visit to India as the FM of Pakistan and made headlines for it. The birkin on her arm was perceived by the media as somewhat odd during her political trip, considering she was representing a country facing an economic crisis.