"It's not a bag... it's a Birkin." Who is Jane Birkin, anyway?

A chance encounter on an airplane in 1980 led to the conception of the worlds' most iconic and coveted handbag.

A young woman had just finished struggling to get her belongings into the overhead bin, when she finally was able to take her seat.

She briefly complained to the stranger next to her that she couldn't find a bag suitable for her needs as a mother.

“You should have one with pockets,” the stranger said.

A woman with taste, she replied: “the day Hermès makes one with pockets, I will have that.”

“But I am Hermès… and I will put pockets in it for you.”

The young woman was a British actress named Jane Birkin. And the stranger next to her was Jean-Louis Dumas, Executive Chairman of Hermès.

I can’t help but wonder why I’m always seated next to men with too much cologne who grabbed a 5-piece meal from Popeyes for the flight and some women are seated next to the chairman of fashion’s most iconic and timeless brand.

Using what he had available, Jean-Louis immediately sketched a flexible and spacious rectangular hold-all with a burnished flap and saddle stitching. The blueprint even had a dedicated spot for her baby’s bottles.

What was the concept for first Birkin bag sketched on?

A. A sketchpad

B. A dinner menu

C. A puke bag

D. New York Times newspaper

Correct answer: C. 

Undoubtedly, the chicest barf bag to ever barf bag.

Roughly a year later, Hermès introduced the first “Birkin bag.” 

From there, the rest is history.

The Birkin bag remains one of the most desired items in the world of luxury and fashion. 

The bags range from $20,000 to well over 6-figures for some of the more unique makes. If you have that money laying around, you still can’t just run get one. You can’t even get on a waitlist anymore.

Too predictable. Too easy.

Each Hermès location is allotted a certain number of the bags at the beginning of a season, and Sales Associates at those stores hand-pick guests to offer the bags to.

Rumor has it that they look for a knowledge of the brand and products (that, I can help you with) and a history of in-store purchases (that, I cannot help you with) before making their selections.

In addition to expert craftsmanship*, Hermès is the perfect demonstration of the powerful pull of exclusivity and the timeless allure of luxury.

*artists train for 5 years before they can produce a Birkin and it takes one craftsman around 40 hours to complete one single bag. 

Now that the stage is set - let’s talk about the new girl on the scene… the Walmart dupe: the Wirkin.

This time tomorrow.

Xo, The Salesgirls