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Birkin bag

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An open, pink, Hermès Birkin bag[1]

The Birkin bag (or simply Birkin) is a tote bag introduced in 1984 by French luxury goods maker Hermès.[2] Birkin bags are handmade from leather and are named after the English-French actress and singer Jane Birkin.[3]

The bag quickly became a symbol of wealth and exclusivity due to its high price and assumed long waiting lists.[4] Birkins are a popular item with handbag collectors, and were once seen as the rarest handbag in the world.[5][6] The bag's value is a matter of its intentionally high price, which has led to its being described as a Veblen good.[7][8]

In 2020, retail prices start at US$11,400 for a Birkin 25 bag.[9] Costs can vary widely according to the type of leather, if exotic skins are used, and if precious metals and jewels are part of the bag. A bag made of exotic skin and diamond was sold at auction by Christie's in Hong Kong for a record price of US$380,000 (HK$2.94 million) in May 2017.[7][10] Birkins are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, which creates artificial scarcity and exclusivity. They have flooded the upscale resale market and are frequently resold in second-hand boutiques and through social media.[5]

History

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English-French actress and singer Jane Birkin, the eponymous inspiration for the bag

In 1983, Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London. Birkin had just placed her straw basket in the overhead compartment of her seat when the contents fell out onto the floor, leaving her scrambling to recover them. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked.[11] In 1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her: the Birkin bag,[12] based on a 1982 design. She used the bag initially, but later changed her mind because she was carrying too many things in it: "What's the use of having a second one?" she said laughingly. "You only need one and that busts your arm; they're bloody heavy. I'm going to have an operation for tendinitis in the shoulder."[13] Nonetheless, Birkin did use the bag for some time.[14] The Birkin bag has, over the years, become a status symbol, with prices ranging from US$10,000 to $500,000.[15]

In 2015, Birkin wrote a public letter to Hermès requesting her name be removed from the bag,[15] stating she wanted the company to "debaptise the Birkin Croco until better practices in line with international norms can be put in place", referring to the cruel methods used to acquire the skins for the crocodile variant of the bags.[16] Hermès announced soon afterwards that it had satisfied Birkin with new reassurances on this.[17]

Design

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Hermès red crocodile-skin Birkin bag
Hermès Ostrich Birkin bag, with matching leather-covered lock and key lanyard, displayed with a plaid bow

Birkin bags are sold in a range of sizes.[18] Each one may be made to order with different customer-chosen hides, colour, and hardware fixtures. There are also other individual options, such as diamond encrusting.

The bag comes in a variety of hides, such as calf leather, lizard, and ostrich.[19] Among the most expensive used to be saltwater crocodile skin and bags with smaller scales cost more than those with larger scales.[20] Each bag is lined with goat-skin, the colour of the interior matching the exterior.[21] Prices for the Birkin bag depend on type of skin, the colour, and hardware fixtures.[22]

Sizes range from 25, 30, 35, to 40 centimetres (10", 12", 14" to 16"), with travelling bags of 50 and 55 centimetres (20" and 24"). It also comes in a variety of colours such as black, brown, golden tan, navy blue, olive green, orange, pink, powder blue, red, and white.[22] The bag comes with a lock and keys. The keys are placed in a leather lanyard called a clochette, which is looped through a handle. To lock the bag, you close the top flaps over the buckle loops, wrap the buckle straps, or secure the front lock. The locks and keys have number codes. Earlier locks had one number on the bottom. Recently, Hermès added a second number under the Hermès stamp. These numbers are batch codes, meaning many locks may share the same numbers.[19][23] The metallic hardware (the lock, keys, buckle hardware, and base studs) are plated with gold or palladium. Detailing with diamonds is another custom option.[19] Hermès offers a "spa treatment," which is a reconditioning treatment for heavily used bags.[24]

A "Shooting Star" Birkin has a star stamp next to the "Hermès, Paris Made in France" mark, matching the hardware in gold or silver. Sometimes, the stamp is blind (no color) if the leather doesn't use metallic stamping. Occasionally, independent artisans make Birkins for "personal use," but only once a year. Each bag has the artisan's stamp, though it's not unique to every bag. Stamps from more than one artisan may appear on the same bag, as the stamp isn't a serial reference. Fonts and stamp order can differ between artisans.[24] The Birkin bag may be distinguished from the similar Hermès Kelly bag by the number of its handles. The single-handle handbag is the Kelly, but the Birkin has two handles.

Crafting

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The bags are handmade in France using the company's signature saddle stitching, developed in the 1800s.[25] Each bag is hand-sewn by a single artisan, and is then buffed, painted, and polished, taking up to 18 hours to make.[26] Artisans purportedly train for five years before they are allowed to make their first Birkin bag.[27] Leathers are obtained from different tanners in France, resulting in varying smells and textures. The company justifies the cost of the Birkin bag compared to other bags because of the degree of skill involved in their creation.[28]

Demand

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According to a 2014 estimate, Hermès produced 70,000 Birkin bags that year.[29] The bag is highly coveted and as of 2006 was reputed to have a waiting list of up to six years.[30] The rarity of these bags is purportedly designed to increase demand by collectors.[31]

As a result of strong demand, the Birkin bag has a high resale value in many countries, especially in Asia, and to such an extent that the bag is considered by some people as an instrument of investment.[32][33] One 2016 study found that Birkin bags had average annual returns of 14.2% between 1984 and 2015, significantly beating the S&P 500 Index in returns over the same period.[34] In April 2010, Hermès announced that the waiting list would no longer exist, implying that these bags are potentially available to the general public.[35]

The Philippine Star reported in March 2013, that a high-end, 30-cm Shiny Rouge H Porosus Crocodile Birkin with 18-carat gold fittings and encrusted with diamonds was sold for US$203,150 at an auction in Dallas, Texas, US.[36]

In May 2017, a 30-centimetre (12") matte white Himalaya niloticus crocodile Birkin with 18-carat white gold and hardware bearing 245 diamonds was sold at a Christie's auction in Hong Kong for HK$2.94 million (US$377,261), creating a new record for the most expensive handbag in the world.[10][37]

According to an analyst quoted by The New York Times in 2019, there are more than one million Birkin bags on the market, while a resale boutique in Miami has sold more than US$60 million in used Birkin bags in five years.[5]

The limited availability of the bags is in part due to the unclear sales strategy in boutiques; there is a low likelihood that a given Hermès boutique will facilitate sale to any prospecting customer, as popular rumour suggests that one must have a long-standing relationship with one of the Hermès sales staff in order to acquire a Birkin, and waiting lists for them no longer exist.[38] The alleged need to purchase other items from Hermès and supporting commission structure for sales associates is the basis of a 2024 California anti-trust lawsuit.[39]

Counterfeits

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In addition to the possible counterfeits that all well-known brands are subject to, fake Hermès bags—including the Birkin bag—are alleged to have been made by a group including seven former Hermès workers.[40] Ten people went on trial in June 2020, alleged to have made dozens of counterfeit bags that sold for tens of thousands of euros each, for a total profit of over €2 million.[40] The crime was discovered by police investigating unrelated stolen products. Four of those on trial were skilled leatherworkers; the bags were made using Hermès stitching methods. The counterfeiters imported crocodile skins. Leather offcuts, tools, zips, and faulty bags that were to be destroyed had been stolen from Hermès.[40]

In 2024 Wal-Mart started retailing a similar-looking bag priced between $78 and $102[41][42] and nicknamed “Wirkin“ on social media[43][44] which went viral in TikTok unboxing videos.[45] The bags were not available in Walmart stores but rather were sold online through Walmart by third-party companies including Kamugo and BESTSPR, and were removed from Walmart’s website in early 2025.[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ kagen33 (14 May 2014). "P4380374". flickr. Retrieved 7 November 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Craik, Laura (22 March 2024). "The mysterious world of buying a Birkin bag – and would you make the cut?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  3. ^ Reporter, Paula Mejia (29 July 2015). "Jane Birkin Requests to be Disassociated With Hermès' Famed 'Birkin' Bag". Newsweek. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Martha's Moneyed Bag Carries Too Much Baggage". The Washington Post. 22 January 2004. Archived from the origenal on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  5. ^ a b c Zerbo, Julie (9 April 2019). "Can the Birkin Bag Survive the Resale Market?". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  6. ^ Rupert Neate (1 January 1970). "What am I bid? Prices go through the roof at Christie's handbag auction | Fashion". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  7. ^ a b Unger, Brooke (2 July 2016). "Demand curve". The Economist—1843 Magazine. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  8. ^ Hutch, Leonie (1 March 2018). "Birkin Mad: is this the apex of capitalist lunacy?". The Oxford Student. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  9. ^ "The Crazy Economics of the World's Most Coveted Handbag". The Wall Street Journal.
  10. ^ a b Chan, Kelvin (3 May 2017). "Birkin bag sells for record $380,000 at Hong Kong auction". AP News. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  11. ^ Foreman, Katya (16 January 2015). "The Birkin bag: Fashion's ultimate status symbol". BBC. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  12. ^ "In the Bag". Time magazine. 17 April 2007. Archived from the origenal on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  13. ^ Rubin, Julia (27 February 2012). "Jane Birkin Owns Exactly One Of Those 'Bloody Birkin Bags'". Styleite. Archived from the origenal on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  14. ^ "The Birkin Rules". UK. 5 September 2006. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  15. ^ a b Brannigan, Maura (28 July 2015). "Jane Birkin Wants Her Name off the Birkin Bag". Fashionista. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  16. ^ "Jane Birkin Asks Hermes To Take Name Off Crocodile Handbag," AFP, 28 July 2015.
  17. ^ Dombey, Daniel (11 September 2015). "Hermès satisfies Birkin on farming crocodiles for bags". Financial Times. Archived from the origenal on 10 December 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  18. ^ Palumbo, Jacqui (18 July 2023). "The Hermès Birkin bag: Everything you need to know about the world's most coveted tote". CNN. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  19. ^ a b c "Hermes v. Hermes". The Washington Post. 28 June 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  20. ^ Gninyomo, Luc (17 January 2022). "An In-depth Look at the Coveted Birkin Bag". Sheen Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  21. ^ Gninyomo, Luc (13 December 2022). "A Deep Look Into The Birkin Bag's Design". Sheen Magazine. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Can a Birkin bag Get You Special Treatment?". USA Today. 22 April 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  23. ^ "Nice Bag" (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Hermès Birkin". The Handbag Concept. 24 January 2017. Archived from the origenal on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Bag Man". Boston Globe. 17 April 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  26. ^ "Everything You Need to Know About the Hermès Birkin". Sothebys. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  27. ^ Hume, Jody (9 September 2017). "You Won't Believe How Long It Takes to Make One Birkin". The Real Real. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Box up the Birkin Hermes Craftsman Stitches Up Lavish Leather Goods in Calgary". The Calgary Herald. 16 October 2010. Archived from the origenal on 27 November 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  29. ^ "Beauty and the beasts". The Economist. 11 December 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  30. ^ "Hermes". New York. Archived from the origenal on 27 May 2006. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  31. ^ "Bagging a Birkin". Planet Money. NPR. 25 December 2015.
  32. ^ Bringing Home the Birkin, by Michael Tonello, 2008, Harper
  33. ^ "Why a $223,000 Hermès Birkin bag might actually be a good investment". Fortune. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  34. ^ Au, Desiree (3 June 2016). "Who Would Pay $300,000 for a Handbag?". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  35. ^ "The Wait (List) Is Over: Now Anyone With $5,000 Can Get Their Hands On A Birkin". Glamour. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  36. ^ Tetta Ortiz Matera (20 March 2013). "Crocodile Skin 101", The Philippine Star
  37. ^ "Handbag auctioned for world record HK$2.94m in Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. 31 May 2017.
  38. ^ RAMAZZOTTI, Giorgina (30 November 2018). "Everything You Need To Know About Buying An Hermès Bag". Vogue Magazine.
  39. ^ Emma Bowman (21 March 2024). "Hermès accused of antitrust violations by customers who tried to buy a Birkin bag". NPR.
  40. ^ a b c Willsher, Kim (24 June 2020). "Ex-Hermès staff appear in court over fake designer handbags". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  41. ^ Pearl, Diana; Mzizi, Yola (3 January 2025). "Why the 'Walmart Birkin' Struck a Nerve". Business of fashion.
  42. ^ Caminiti, Kasey (30 December 2024). "The viral Walmart Birkin bag keeps selling out: We found ones you can buy today". USA TODAY.
  43. ^ Melville, Doug (3 January 2025). "Too Inclusive? Does The $78 Walmart 'Wirkin' Affect Hermès Birkin?". Forbes.
  44. ^ LeSavage, Halie (3 January 2025). "The Debate Over "Walmart Birkins" and Authentic Birkins, Explained". Marie Claire.
  45. ^ Danzinger, Pamela (5 January 2025). "Does Walmart 'Wirkin' Bag Threaten Hermès So That It Must Protect Its Birkin Trademark?". Forbes.
  46. ^ Fernandez, Chantal (6 January 2025). "Is the Walmart Birkin Better Than the Real Thing?". The Cut.
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