The hand-built Birkin Bag is named after the actress/singer Jane Birkin. The price of the bags range from $9,000 to $150,000 according to the quality of the material/ rarity of the leather. As a result of limited quantities the bags are very exclusive. The bag was created in 1984. In 1981 CEO of Hermes, Jean Louis Dumas got on a flight from Paris to London and sat next to Jane Birkin. Birkin placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment and then her items from her bag fell. Birkin explained to him that it's difficult to find a leather weekend bag. In 1984 he created a black leather bag for her.
The Birkin bag comes in 25, 30, 35, and 40 cm sizes. The 50 and 55 cm bags are meant for traveling. (colors:pink, red, brown, orange, baby blue, navy blue, orange, white, black, gold tan) The metallic hardware are plated with gold or palladium (both don't tarnish) Diamonds are another custom addition. The bag comes with a lock and keys. Keys are enclosed in a leather lanyard known as a 'clochette' carried by looping through a handle. The lock and keys are number -coded.
The bag has a variety of skins to choose from: calf leather, ostrich, crocodile, and lizard. The most expensive is saltwater crocodile skin. Bags with smaller scales cost more than those with larger scales. The bag is lined with goat-skin. The color matches the exterior.
Once known for having a wait list time of 6 years, it was announced in April 2010 that the wait list no longer exists. (Maybe because of the recession)
So what kind of Birkin do I want?
Black/ brown calfskin with gold metallic hardware. Just like Posh Spice :)
Fashionably Yours,
Karen xoxo
