Let's Talk about Quality

The Birkin bag is a handbag by Hermès, handmade in leather and named after actress and singerJane Birkin. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and usage by celebrities.


Its prices range from £4,800 to £100,000 ($7,400 to $150,000). Costs escalate according to the type of materials. The bags are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, creating scarcity and, intended or unintended, exclusivity.

Jane Birkin, singer

In 1981, Hermès chief executiveJean Louis Dumas was seated next to Jane Birkin on a flight from Paris to London. She had just placed her straw bag in the overhead compartment of her seat, but the contents fell to the deck, leaving her to scramble to replace them. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her, based on an 1892 design. She used the bag for herself then later changed her mind because she was carrying too many things in it: “What’s the use of having a second one?” she laughs. “You only need one and that busts your arm; they’re bloody heavy. I’m going to have to have an operation for tendonitis in the shoulder.”  Nevertheless, the bag has since become an icon.

Birkin bags are sold in a range of sizes. Each one may be made to order with different customer-chosen hides, color, and hardware fixtures. There are other individual options, such as diamond-encrusting.

The bag also has a variety of hides such as calf leather,ostrich, crocodile, and lizzard. One of 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 of the interior matches the exterior. Prices for the Birkin bag depend on the color, hardware fixtures, and skin

Birkin bag made from dyed pink calf leather

Pink Birkin bag

Hermès Ostrich Birkin bag.

Although the Birkin bag is free of logos, it is one of the most recognized bags in the fashion industry and by the public.


It is highly coveted and, for several years, was reputed for having a waiting list of up to 6 years – the longest wait for any bag in history.As a result of the strong demand, the Birkin bag has a high reselling value in many countries, especially in Asia. In April 2010, Hermès announced that the waiting list would no longer exist, implying that it is potentially available to all.