6 things you didn’t know about the Hermès Birkin bag

November 21, 2023

The Hermès Birkin bag is more than just a fashion accessory: it's an emblem of luxury, craftsmanship, and exclusivity. While this iconic handbag is known worldwide for its elegance and prestige, there are many lesser-known facets that contribute to its mystique. In this article, we'll unravel six intriguing facts about the Hermès Birkin bag that may surprise even the most seasoned fashion enthusiasts.

The First Birkin bag was sketched out on a plane sick bag

During an Air France flight to London in 1984, the cabin crew upgraded the seat of a 34 year old woman, Jane Birkin. On her new seat, she happened to sit next to the artistic director and chairman of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. Story goes that during the flight, everything fell out of Jane Birkin’s bag and Dumas offered to design her a new bag that would fit all of her stuff. In an interview in 2012 she said: “When everything fell out of whatever bag I had, the man next to me said, “you should have one with pockets.” I said: “the day Hermès makes one with pockets I will have that.” And he said: “but I am Hermès, and I will put pockets in for you.”’ Dumas drew the design on the sick bag and the rest is history.

Jane Birkin owned just five of her namesake bags

Though she was the muse that inspired the Birkin bag, rumour has it that Jane Birkin herself only owned five or six Birkin bags. It is said that she would use them one at the time and then put them up for auction, donating the money to charity.

Hermès gave Jane Birkin a nominal royalty for the use of her name

Initially Jane Birkin was happy to accept a free bag with the use of her name, but after some time Hermès started to give her an annual payment which Jane donated to charity.

photo: harpersbazaar

Every Birkin is handmade and hand-stitched

At Hermès, crafting a Birkin-bag has transcended the average “production”, for Hermès it has become an art form. Behind this iconic masterpiece is a dedicated team of artisans, who are equipped with their personal set of tools, to create this iconic bag by hand for over 48 working hours. Despite the presence of quirky designs and variations of the Birkin, the original silhouette has remained consistent throughout the bag’s history.

You can’t just buy a Birkin in a Hermès boutique

Acquiring a Birkin bag requires quite the process. The days of an official waiting list in physical stores might be over, but securing this bag is far from easy. Walking into a Hermès store and making a purchase on the spot is a very rare luxury. The potential buyers need to have some sort of history with Hermès or have a connection with an existing owner. Even then, you might find yourself on a waiting list.

There are only 200.000 Birkin bags in circulation

Despite the persistent high demand for Birkin bags, Hermès deliberately maintains an exceptionally restricted production volume each year. Hermès aims to preserve the exclusivity and value of their designs as a testament to their luxury. It is believed that Hermès crafts about 12.000 to 70.000 Birkin bags each year. With only a total of 200.000 bags in circulation, this rarity contributes to the remarkable value of Birkin bags.

Lots of love,

Livvy