Jane Birkin’s OG Birkin bag just went for a wild $10.1 million at Sotheby’s in Paris. Yes, you read that right—ten point one million US dollars.
This bag’s been around the sun 40 times. Nine collectors were throwing elbows for about ten minutes, but in the end, some mystery buyer from Japan snagged it over the phone.
Jane Birkin’s Hermes Bag Gets Sold For Record $10 Million
The whole room basically forgot how to breathe when bids zoomed past £5 million and finally crashed out at £7 million (before the fees, of course). Absolutely destroyed the old record—some Hermès Kelly bag with a few diamonds on it that went for a measly $513K.
Catch Jane Birkin’s original Birkin bag, personally designed for her by Hermès in the 1980s, and other Fashion Icons at #SothebysParis before they hit the auction block on 10 July.
Watch the live auction on https://t.co/DN1rWYLACs beginning at 4:00 PM CET / 10:00 AM ET.… pic.twitter.com/lFPknX2nsO
— Sotheby’s (@Sothebys) July 8, 2025
What’s the big deal about Jane Birkin’s Hermes Bag?
So what’s the deal with this particular Birkin? First off, it’s not some pristine, shrink-wrapped museum piece.
Jane used it every day for a decade and made it hers. Now, it’s officially the second most expensive fashion thing ever auctioned, just behind those “Wizard of Oz” ruby slippers that went for $32.5 million.
The Birkin’s backstory is classic. Picture it: Jane Birkin, mid-‘80s, juggling motherhood and celebrity life, is on an Air France flight and her wicker basket (her actual purse) just dumps its contents everywhere.
She’s grumbling about the lack of decent bags, and Hermès boss Jean-Louis Dumas just happens to be there. Guy grabs an airsickness bag and sketches out a new design right then and there—literally in the clouds.
Hermès whipped up the bag in 1985 and handed it over. Jane rocked it nonstop until ’94, slapping UNICEF stickers on it, hanging nail clippers off the strap (iconic), then auctioned it off to raise money for AIDS research.
Why is this Birkin different from all the other Birkins?
– “J.B.” initials stamped under the lock—flex.
– Shoulder strap can’t come off (Hermès switched it up later).
– Its size—somewhere between the standard 35 and 40cm bags.
– Gilded brass bits, not the usual gold-plated stuff.
– The nail clippers.
And why the insane price for a beat-up old bag? Because it’s not just a bag, it’s a piece of fashion mythology. Morgane Halimi at Sotheby’s said it best—it’s “the power of a legend.” Most Birkins look like they’ve never seen the inside of a taxi, but this one? It was loved, battered, and lived in.
It’s got Birkin’s fingerprints all over it—literally and figuratively. Actress, activist, style legend. She once joked that after she died, people would only remember her for the bag.
Catherine Benier, the last owner, called it the “jewel” of her collection.
