Sotheby’s to auction original Hermès bag that belonged to Jane Birkin

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Sotheby’s will soon auction the original Hermès Birkin bag that once belonged to the late singer Jane Birkin, one of the most coveted designs in the fashion industry.

The famed black leather handbag will be put up for sale in Paris on July 10, the auction house said in a statement Thursday.

The original Birkin was commissioned in 1984 exclusively for and in collaboration with Jane Birkin by Hermès International SCA’s then CEO Jean-Louis Dumas.

Birkin recalled in interviews how she bumped into Dumas on a flight and complained about the lack of a Hermès handbag that suited her needs. The British-French singer retold how she sketched a model on a “vomit bag” and shortly after Dumas presented her with the original Birkin which the brand commercialized under her name.

Jane Birkin sold her bag in 1994 to raise funds for an AIDS charity. It was auctioned again in 2000, and has since belonged to the collector who goes by the name “Catherine B” on Instagram. Her account biography on the platform says she’s the “proud owner of the first Hermès Birkin bag.”

A Sotheby’s representative confirmed that the collector is the seller.

Hermès bags often fetch higher prices at resale than they cost in boutiques due to long waiting lists.

The record for a bag sold at auction is held by an Hermès Kelly known as Himalaya, made in crocodile skin and carrying a diamond, which fetched 4 million Hong Kong dollars in 2021 (US$510,000). It was auctioned by Christie’s.