Jane Birkin's original Hermès bag sells for £7m at Sotheby's auction

The very first Birkin bag, the one that started it all for the famous and highly sought-after handbag, has been sold for a staggering €8.6 million (£7.4 million; $10.1 million). This makes it the most expensive handbag ever sold at an auction.

The story goes that the black leather bag was created for singer Jane Birkin back in 1985. She happened to be sitting next to the head of the luxury fashion brand Hermès on a flight. During the flight, her belongings spilled out of her bag. She complained that there weren't any bigger, more practical bags available.

The Hermès boss then sketched a design for a new bag on an airplane sick bag. He wanted to create something more useful but still stylish. This prototype bag was sold to a private collector from Japan at a Sotheby's auction in Paris. The price far exceeded the previous record of €439,000 (£378,000; $513,000).

Sotheby's described an "electrifying" bidding war that lasted ten minutes, with "nine determined collectors" battling to own the iconic piece. Morgane Halimi, the global head of handbags and fashion at Sotheby's, stated that the price shows the power of a legend and how collectors are passionate about owning exceptional items with unique histories.

She further explained that the Birkin prototype is the origin of an extraordinary story that led to the creation of a modern icon – the Birkin bag, which is now the most coveted handbag in the world.

The total price of €8,582,500 includes all commissions and fees. Sotheby's had not provided an estimated price before the auction.

Jane Birkin herself owned the original bag and gave her name to the entire line of bags that followed. After creating the bag for the British-French singer and actress, Hermès began producing it commercially. It has since become a major status symbol in the fashion world.

Some Birkin bags can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and waiting lists can stretch for years. Celebrities like Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, and Jennifer Lopez are known to own them.

The original bag has some unique features. These include Birkin's initials on the front, a shoulder strap that can't be removed, nail clippers attached to the strap, and marks from stickers she used to put on the bag to support various charities, like Médecins du Monde and Unicef.

Birkin passed away in 2023 at the age of 76. She owned the original bag for ten years before donating it to an auction to raise money for an AIDS charity in 1994. Later, Catherine Benier, who owns a luxury boutique in Paris, bought it and kept it for 25 years before selling it at the recent auction.

Sotheby's mentioned that the previous record for a handbag sale was held by a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28 bag in 2021.