Who Was Jane Birkin? Actress Who Inspired Cult Favorite Hermès Bag

"Birkin? Like the bag?" an English-French actress was often asked when she told people her name, with a palpable perplexity that followed. Little did they know that couture house Hermès had named the celebrity-favourite handbag after her. Jane Birkin was a style icon, activist, and cinema artist, best known for her notable works in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was also a talented singer and collaborated with French singer-songwriter and her ex-beau Serge Gainsbourg. Birkin's unique blend of English charm and French sophistication made her a captivating figure in fashion and entertainment worldwide. Here's the story behind the legendary bag.

How A Luggage Mishap Inspired Hermès Birkin 

Jane Birkin has narrated the story behind the Hermès 'eureka' moment in several interviews. In 1984, she was travelling on a flight from Paris to London, unaware that she was seated beside the CEO of the couture giant, Jean-Louis Dumas. The actress was placing her bag full of paperwork and other knick-knacks in the overhead compartment when the contents fell to the deck.

This caught the eye of Dumas, who remarked, "You should have pockets, you know?" when Birkin responded, "What can I do? Hermès doesn't make it with pockets." When Dumas introduced himself to her, what followed was an unexpected creative outpour between the duo. Birkin helped the Hermès CEO design a handbag with more utility, which then came to be named after her.

Soon, Jane Birkin became a trendsetter and celebrities around the world clamoured to attain the emblematic bag. The Hermès Birkin handbag continues to have a high status in the fashion industry that not anyone can attain. It can cost around $450,000. Recently, the couture brand has even imposed a slew of strict measures, like waitlists and auctions, to maintain its exclusivity.

Not Just Another Luxury Handbag

Hermès' restrictions on the purchase of the Birkin bag have garnered mixed reactions from fashion enthusiasts worldwide. On one hand, consumers appreciate the brand for maintaining the prestige of the luxury product, adding to its perceived symbolic value. Some believe that it is a way of preserving Jane Birkin's legacy even after her death (July 2023, at age 76).

However, some criticise the brand for its attempt to create egregious competition in the fashion market. They argue that Jane Birkin's idea behind the eponymous handbag was a more sustainable approach to luxury. The actress' bag looked nothing less intriguing than a treasure chest filled with bundles of books, curios, and some daily necessities. 

Over the years, the Birkin bag became a symbol of affluence and celebrities were seen carrying it with little to no contents, often just as a decorative accompaniment to their equally high-status clothing. Thus, the comparison between Jane Birkin's 'anti-couture' approach and contemporary celebrities' obsession with the exclusivity of the bag has irked many fashion critics.

Jane Birkin's legacy extends far beyond the iconic handbag that bears her name. She was also a cancer survivor and a human rights activist. She has participated in campaigns that advocate for immigrant rights, healthcare for minorities, and women in war-struck parts of the world. Before she died in 2023, she actively showed solidarity with Iranian women, following Mahsa Amini's death.