Jane Birkin’s Original Hermès Bag Sells for Record $10.1M

The handbag that launched a global fashion phenomenon has found a new home — and made history. The original Hermès Birkin bag, designed for and used by the late Jane Birkin, sold for a jaw-dropping €8.6 million ($10.1 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

The final sale, including fees, makes it the second-most expensive fashion item ever sold at auction, trailing only Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, which sold for $32.5 million in 2024.

From Air Sickness Bag Sketch to Cultural Icon

The story of the Birkin bag began on a Paris-to-London flight in the 1980s, when Jane Birkin spilled her belongings in the aisle. She sketched her idea for a more functional, roomy handbag on an air sickness bag for Jean-Louis Dumas, then-chairman of Hermès.

Impressed, Dumas developed a prototype tailored to Birkin’s practical needs as a performer, mother, and traveler. She agreed to let Hermès commercialize the design under her name—and the Birkin bag was born.

Bidding War for a One-of-a-Kind Piece

The auction began at €1 million and escalated quickly, with nine bidders participating via phone, online, and in person. Gasps and applause filled the room as the price jumped in large increments, ultimately landing at €7 million before fees. The winning bidder, a private collector from Japan, outlasted all others in a tense 10-minute bidding battle.

“This is a true one-of-a-kind piece of fashion history,” said Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s head of handbags and fashion. “It has evolved into a symbol of luxury, artistry, and timeless design.”

Distinct from Every Other Birkin

Unlike commercial models, Birkin’s original bag features a nonremovable shoulder strap, gilded brass hardware, and a nail clipper attached inside—because, as Sotheby’s noted, “Birkin was never one for long painted nails.” The prototype was based on Hermès’ Haut à Courroies model and customized for her daily needs.

She kept the original for nearly a decade before auctioning it for AIDS relief in 1994. It was sold again in 2000 and remained in private hands until now.

More Than Just a Bag

For many, the Birkin is more than a luxury item — it’s a cultural milestone. From red carpets to runways, it has become a symbol of status and artistry. Jane Birkin’s personal touch, and the origin story behind the bag, only deepen its mystique.

Birkin herself once joked, “My obituaries will probably say, ‘Like the bag.’”

As Catherine B., the previous owner of the bag, said after the auction: “The price is the price of the Hermès story.”

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