There are very few surnames - within the fashion industry or otherwise - as closely associated with one singular item as that of Jane Birkin's.
In fact, for many, the word ‘Birkin’ relates solely to the world's bougiest handbag, and it was only after news broke this weekend of the sad passing of the ultimate fashion icon, Jane Birkin, that they realised that the beloved Hermès bag was named after a specific person.
But why was Jane Birkin's name attributed to such a bag? And why has it amassed such a relentless fan base? And *how* do we get our hands on one without remortgaging the house?
Here are seven things you might not know about the world's most in-demand (and expensive!) accessory…
Chic, we know, but it's true. In 1981 a 34-year-old Jane Birkin found herself being upgraded by Air France on a flight to London and being seated next to a man who later turned out to be the visionary artistic director and chairman of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas.
“I’m not quite sure what type of bag I had with me,” Jane told Vogue back in 2012, “my husband Jacques Doillon had reversed his car over my basket [photographed below], crushed it on purpose not too days before. [Dumas] thought I deserved more.”
“Little did he know that on this airplane journey, 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’.”
Going on to make the most of this chance encounter, Jane Birkin said: “‘why don’t you make a handbag that is bigger than the Kelly but smaller than Serge’s suitcase?’ And he said ‘well, what would it be like?’ And I think I drew it on the sick bag - or the not-be-sick bag. And he said ‘I’ll make it for you’.”
Of course, years later, there's no denying the allure of the Hermès Birkin.
Owned by everyone from Kim Kardashian and Lady Gaga to Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Victoria Beckham, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Kylie Jenner and Heidi Klum, there's nothing that will stop these stars getting their hands on one of the coveted pieces.
But they don't just stop at one, with Kylie owning 13 and Cardi B still adding to her 26+ strong collection even as recently as this month, revealing during a Get Ready With Me video with Vogue: “Everybody thinks I came here for Couture Week, but I really came here to buy a Birkin bag. I cannot find it nowhere in the States.”
“And Let me tell you something,” she continues, “I’ve been looking for this Birkin for two months, and then my Hermès plug said that it was coming to New York, and I think she sold it to somebody else. But it’s ok because I came here to get it myself.”
The street style set are, of course, similarly obsessed, with some of fashion week's favourite names such as Emili Sindlev, Tamara Kalinic and Stephanie Broek having been spotted with their Birkin bags over recent seasons.
While even the most standard Hermès Birkin bags cost several thousand - usually tens of thousands of - pounds, there are certain styles that welcome an even more eye-watering price tag.
Breaking the record back in 2018 and becoming the most expensive bag ever sold at auction, the Matte Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Birkin 35 with 18-karat white gold and diamond hardware [below] saw the hammer come down at a colossal £236,750.
For the savvier shoppers among us who don't mind sharing, thanks to a wealth of impressive rental platforms having launched over recent years it's now possible to walk around with a Hermès Birkin bag on your arm without the guilt of a six-figure purchase also weighing you down.
ByRotation, for example, has several available to rent, with the most affordable being the khaki Hermès Birkin 35 with gold hardware, which retails at £7,000 but can be rented for £58/day.
ByRotation also has the classic black iteration - which retails for £8,200 - for £345/2 days, and the green - which retails at £20,000 - available for £2,070/3 days.
Perhaps surprisingly, there is big Birkin business on TikTok too. Once a platform for light-hearted choreography during lockdown TikTok has become something of a breeding ground for Gen Z fashion trends, and with #hermesunboxing amassing 101.7million views and #birkinunboxing 9.2million views, there's no denying the users' appetite for luxury fashion.
Hanushka Toni, the founder of resale company Sellier who has been dubbed the ‘Birkin Queen’, has noticed that the huge uplift in the featuring of the Hermes Birkin bag on TikTok has been followed by a sharp rise in TikTok stars buying the bags and going on to unveil the process through their social media platforms.
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“It’s not uncommon for customers in our Monaco store to spend over £100k in one visit.” she revealed. “In January a 19 year old TikTok star spent £180k on two bags. They documented the purchase process from the store, and the unboxing video was on their page within 24 hours, amassing thousands of likes + views.”
Since the passing of Jane Birkin on July 16th, Sellier has seen an 800% increase in searches relating to ‘Jane Birkin’ - with many customers looking for the specific styles that she wore.
This one won't be a shock to Sex and the City fans who remember Samantha Jones's struggle to bypass the waiting list and get her hands on one in season 4, but buying a Birkin isn't as easy as just walking into a shop and handing over the money.
While waiting lists at Hermès stores technically no longer exist, it's still very much a case of ‘who you know’ as demand continues to so heavily outweigh the supply.
Different stores stock different styles, so your best bet is to enquire in store about upcoming deliveries and form a relationship with the sales expert - that way when your chosen style comes into their store you'll be top of their list of prospective buyers to call.
Alternatively - and if you're looking for a less convoluted process - you'd be wise to head to resale, vintage and rental websites to get your hands on a bit of the Birkin magic.
For more from Glamour UK's Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.
