It’s curious the way the famous Bikini bag model by the brand Hermès was designed. It all happened on a flight to London in 1984, where actress, singer, and model Jane Birkin was traveling with Hermès president, Jean-Louis Dumas. After placing the bag in the overhead compartment, all of her belongings fell out, prompting Birkin to suggest to Dumas that he design a larger version of the Kelly bag. This is how Birkin recounted it in an interview with Vogue in 2020. The acceptance was so great that Dumas ordered the bag to be made and the first piece was for Birkin.
It became a totally iconic bag that accompanied the actress throughout her life until she sold it in 1994 to raise funds for AIDS research. Currently, the bag has just been auctioned at the famous Sotheby’s auction house in Paris. The initial bid was $1.1 million, and it ended up selling for $10.1 million! The person responsible for this astronomical amount of money was the Japanese businessman Shinsuke Sakimoto, the CEO of Valuence Holdings, a company dedicated to the purchase and resale of luxury items. The company firmly believes that the purchase, despite being the most expensive they have ever made, will pay for itself.
Just with the worldwide publicity that the auction has generated, they believe it has been worth it. Valuence does not intend to resell the precious bag; instead, they plan to exhibit it in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York or the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where it has already been previously, attracting thousands of visitors. The philosophy behind the company aims for this valuable object not to belong to a single person, but for both the company and admirers to enjoy it, making it a shared asset.
Birkin bag, from Hèrmes
Lovers of handbags and branded products know perfectly well what the Birkin model from the brand Hèrmes is. What they might not know is how the idea for its creation came about. It all happened in 1984, on a flight to London where actress, singer, and model Jane Birkin coincided with Hèrmes president Jean – Louis Dumas, when the actress dropped all her belongings from the Kelly handbag she was carrying.
It was then that, as the actress stated to Vogue magazine in 2020, she said, “Why don’t you make a bag that is four times bigger than Kelly, that you can leave open?”, and even drew the design for him. Pleased with the suggestion, Dumas manufactured the model and delivered the first example to Birkin. A simple black leather handbag, with the initials J.B. engraved.
How much does it cost?
Currently, a Birkin model can be obtained in a wide range of colors and fabrics, but the prices are anything but affordable. The brand Hèrmes is known for restricting its sales to specific clients, so if you are one of them, prices range from $10,000 to $500,000.
What happened to Jane Birkin´s bag?
In 1994, the actress sold the handbag to raise funds for AIDS research. Currently, the handbag has just been auctioned for an astronomical amount of money at the Sotheby’s auction house in Paris. The bidding started with a starting price of $1.1 million and ended up being sold for $10.1 million. Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy? The person responsible for this exorbitant purchase was the Japanese Shinsuke Sakimoto, the CEO of Valuence Holdings. This is a company specialized in buying and reselling luxury items, and as they stated to CNN, this has been their most expensive purchase.
The company is convinced that the purchase will pay off in several ways and they are not worried at all. Just from the publicity gained after the auction, they believe they have already recovered part of the investment, “It was certain that the winning bid would break the record, which meant it would be reported all over the world. Everyone agreed and understood that it was a good investment”.
Furthermore, the company does not intend to resell it but to exhibit it in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York or the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, where it has already been exhibited before and where thousands of visitors have been able to enjoy it. According to Valuence, The purpose of acquiring this work of art is not to make it the personal property of the rich, but to create a new model of ownership – so that companies like ours and society can share it, together. We want to preserve it for the future and share it with everyone”.