The Birkin Bag: Unraveling the Allure of a Quintessential Luxury Symbol

Talking about lifestyles, luxury, living the high-life? It’s never quite complete without the mention of a Birkin Bag.
Wanna-be, trying to be reality stars, international celebrities, the rich and the famous are all keen to sport this extremely expensive bag. So what is it about this bag that has the who’s who going crazy about it? Here’s a complete lowdown.

The Birkin Bag is created by the 185 year old French luxury design house Hermes.  

The Birkin bag or simply Birkin is actually a tote bag and was introduced in 1984. It was inspired in the sky when Hermes CEO, Jean-Louis Dumas was sitting next to British French actress and singer Jane Birkin in a flight from Paris to London. It was then that she complained  that she couldn’t find a bag suitable for her needs as a young mother and wondered if Hermès could produce a larger version of the Kelly bag.

The Kelly bag (formerly known as the Sac à main de Voyage), was designed for Princess Grace Kelly and is an expensive status symbol. Dumas took this encounter as inspiration to create a supple black leather bag and thus the Birkin was born.

The bag did not take-off instantly, and it wasn’t until the 1990s that the crazy became a frenzy and the Birkin became the ‘It Bag’.

All Birkins are crafted by a single artisan in one of the brand’s workshops. It takes each artisan 48 hours of work to create a single bag. It is also believed that an artisan may require a decade long training and skilled craftsmanship before he can aspire to create a Birkin Bag.

The bag comes in a variety of hides, such as calf leather, lizard, and ostrich. Among the most expensive used to be saltwater crocodile skin. Each bag is lined with goat-skin, the colour of the interior matching the exterior. Prices for the Birkin bag depend on type of skin, the colour, and hardware fixtures.

Birkin bags are known for their limited availability. Hermès, intentionally restricts the supply to create a sense of exclusivity and rarity. This scarcity drives up the demand and, consequently, the price.Birkins are named according to size, color, and texture. For example, an Hermés 25 Birkin Bag Togo refers to a Birkin with a length of 25 centimeters, and crafted in the brand’s signature grainy togo leather.

So how much is a Birkin bag?” Prices begin at $8,500 (over Rs. 7Lakh) and can climb well beyond $2,000,000 (Rs. 17 Crore) for these symbols of luxury.

The most expensive Birkin in the world was sold for $380,000. Christie’s set a world record when they sold a matte crocodile Birkin with diamond-encrusted hardware at auction for $380,000.

Initially, one could purchase a Birkin bag for an average of $2000, but that price has skyrocketed over the last 35 years, showcasing a massive 500% increase.

This makes a Birkin a better investment than shares of the stock market.

Studies have shown that rare Birkin bags have averaged a 14.2% annual return over the past few decades—an average return that beats out both the S&P 500 index and the price of gold.

There are around 200,000 Birkins in circulation and as the demand outstrips the supply, there is a huge seconds market for the bag, where ‘gently used’ bags can be bought. These bags can also be procured on rent for a week from various on-line and brick and mortar stores. 

The bag has had its share of controversies as well! 

In July 2015, Birkin asked Hermès to stop using her name for the crocodile version due to ethical concerns, as PETA alleged crocodile farms supplying the hide to Hermès for the manufacture of the bags crammed their animals into barren concrete pits. PETA said: “At just one year old, alligators are shot with a captive bolt gun or crudely cut into while they’re still conscious and able to feel pain.” 

Still, numerous controversies keep doing the rounds, but they do not deter celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Pippa Middleton and Kate Moss to endorse and flaunt the Brand. In fact it is believed that Victoria Beckham has over 100 Birkins.

So now the question is- is it easy to lay hands on a Birkin bag in India? Not quite, though there are a few on-line luxury exchanges that let you buy and sell Birkin bags in India, E-commerce by the Brand is not yet available here. Also with limited production of the Hermes bags, it is less likely for them to be available at the Hermes brick and mortar store in India. But hey, if you are keen to buy a bag this expensive, we bet, the world is