The legendary bag Jane Birkin created lands in HK
Forty years ago, a chance encounter on a flight between Jane Birkin and then Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas sparked the creation of a capacious handbag that would suit the actress and singer’s busy lifestyle: the Original Hermès Birkin handbag.
Sotheby’s now unveils the last seven secrets of this legendary accessory as it goes on public display.
On view at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Maison until April 24, Jane Birkin’s Original Hermès Birkin is exhibited in Asia for the first time, having featured in only three previous public displays—once at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 2018, at London’s Victoria & Albert museum in 2020, and at Sotheby’s Paris Headquarters at 83 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.
In many ways a work of art in itself, the original Birkin is unique not only because of its provenance but also by differing significantly from the way the Birkins have been made ever since. Currently on loan especially for this exhibition, the bag was recently examined by Sotheby’s handbag specialists for the first time, leading to the discovery of previously unknown design elements in the bag.
When Jane Birkin, accompanied by young daughter Charlotte, discussed the requirements for her ideal handbag with Jean-Louis Dumas on that now famous short Paris to London flight, her main concern was capacity. She had found handbags at the time to be too small. She preferred instead carrying a large wicker basket she had bought in Portugal in the late 1960s. The wicker basket and its contents had accidentally fallen on Dumas, who was sitting next to her on the plane—so he understood the needs of the star.
Borrowing elements from Hermès’ existing Sacs Haut à courroies, the finished bag was eventually delivered to Jane Birkin in 1985. The Original Birkin was truly a prototype, with seven key features that, taken together, were never replicated on any other Birkin bag made since.
The Original Birkin, inseparable from Jane Birkin and branded with her initials J.B. on the front flap of the bag, below the lock, became her favorite accessory. She would usually cradle it in both arms and take it with her everywhere.
The condition of the Original Birkin reflects the many years of use by the actress and singer, and, in the exhibition, the bag is presented in the exact condition in which Jane had left it.
An activist acutely aware of the power her image carried internationally, she also used her bag as an eye-catching placard to promote causes close to her heart, such as Médecins du Monde and Unicef. The bag still bears the marks of the stickers she pasted on it.
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