The Historic Sale of the Iconic Birkin Bag: A Record £7m Auction

This remarkable sale, showcasing the enduring appeal of the Birkin bag, reflects the intense desire of collectors to own a piece of fashion history.

The revered original Birkin bag, famed for its unique design and celebrity association, has achieved a jaw-dropping auction sale price of €8.6m (£7.4m; $10.1m), making it the most expensive handbag ever to change hands at auction. Crafted for the late Jane Birkin in 1985, this black leather piece was born out of a serendipitous moment when the British-French actress expressed her need for a larger handbag to the president of Hermès during a flight. He quickly sketched a design on an airplane sick bag, which later evolved into the iconic Birkin bag.

The auction, held at Sotheby’s in Paris, witnessed a thrilling 10-minute bidding frenzy involving nine determined collectors. Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s global head of handbags and fashion, emphasized that this sale was a clear testament to the bag's legendary status, captivating collectors eager to possess such an extraordinary item with a distinctive story.

Noteworthy features of the original bag include Birkin's initials embossed on the front, a non-removable shoulder strap, nail clippers she kept attached, and scuff marks from stickers promoting charities she supported, such as Médecins du Monde and Unicef. Birkin, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 76, owned the bag for a decade before donating it to a charity auction in 1994. It was subsequently kept by Catherine Benier, a luxury boutique owner in Paris, for 25 years before this landmark sale.

The previous record for the most expensive handbag at auction was held by a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28, which fetched a mere €439,000 (£378,000; $513,000) in 2021, highlighting the astonishing leap in value that the Birkin bag has achieved. Today, the Birkin remains not just a handbag but a quintessential marker of exclusivity and status in the world of fashion.