Original Birkin bag made by Hermès for Jane Birkin sold at this whopping amount in Paris auction

The whopping amount blew past what auctioneer had said was the previous record for a handbag, as per an AP news agency report. The details of the highest bidder were not immediately available.

Reuters reported that the classic bag owned by a well-known Paris-based handbag collector, sparked a telephone bidding war up to 7.0 million euros, with the final sale price set at 8.58 million with commission and fees.

First created in 1984 for the London-born star by the Paris fashion house, the Birkin bag went on to become one of the world’s most exclusive and expensive luxury items, famed for its sky-high price tag and notoriously long waiting list.

The first Birkin was sketched on an “airplane vomit sack” before it went on to become fashion’s most coveted accessory, according to an AP report.

The original Birkin bag, named after the late actor went going under the hammer in Paris on Thursday and was expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of euros (or dollars) at the Sotheby’s auction. And so it did.

How was Hermes’ Birkin bag born

The iconic accessory was reportedly born during a chance encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s, when Birkin met then-Hermès chief Jean-Louis Dumas.

Jane Birkin later recalled in interviews that their conversation began after she spilled her belongings on the cabin floor.

Actor Jane Birkin asked Dumas why Hermès didn’t make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit sack the sort of bag that she would like. He had a prototype made for her, and when Hermès later requested to commercialise it in her name, she agreed.

The bag became such a phenomenon that Jane Birkin once mused before her death in 2023 at age 76 that obituaries for her would likely “say, ‘Like the bag’ or something,'” adding: “Well, it could be worse.”

According to Sotheby’s, the all-black leather prototype was handcrafted for Birkin and is described as a “legendary handbag” and “one of the most iconic fashion items ever created.”

The auction house also said the bag has seven unique design elements that distinguish it from every Birkin produced afterward.

“More than just a bag, the Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon. Its presence spans the worlds of music, film, television and the arts; it is a red-carpet staple, a fashion magazine mainstay, and a coveted piece in the wardrobes of celebrities, artists and stylists,” AP quoted Sotheby’s as saying.