Birkin bag
The Birkin bag (or simply, Birkin) is a line of tote bags by the French luxury goods maker, Hermès, that is handmade in leather and named after English actress and singer Jane Birkin. Introduced in the 1980s, the bag quickly became a symbol of wealth and exclusivity due to its high price and long waiting lists. Birkins are the most popular bag with handbag collectors, and was once seen as the rarest handbag in the world. The bag's value as a matter of its intentionally high price has led to its being described as a Veblen good.
In 2020, prices started at US$11,000 and have reached up to HK$2.94 million (US$380,000) when a bag was sold at auction by Christie's in Hong Kong for a record price in May 2017.[4][6] 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. Birkins are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, which create artificial scarcity and exclusivity; however, the bags have flooded the upscale resale market and are frequently sold in second-hand boutiques and through social media.
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 travelling bag in the overhead compartment for her seat, but the contents fell to the deck, leaving her to scramble to replace them. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked.
In 1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her, based on a 1982 design. She used the bag initially, but 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 to have an operation for tendonitis in the shoulder." Nevertheless, since the late 1980s, the bag has become a status symbol, though it's become much easier to purchase due to aftermarket resales.
In July 2015, however, Birkin asked Hermès to stop using her name for the crocodile version due to ethical concerns, as PETA alleged crocodile farms supplying the hide to Hermès for the manufacture of the bags crammed their animals into barren concrete pits. "At just one year old, alligators are shot with a captive bolt gun or crudely cut into while they're still conscious and able to feel pain," PETA said. Birkin is quoted as having asked Hermes "to debaptise the Birkin Croco until better practices in line with international norms can be put in place".
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