Birkin Bag – the world’s most sought after bag

Birkin Bag – the world’s most sought after bag

Birkin bags, an icon for understated luxury and timeless elegance, have a fascinating history. Hermes designed the bag for English-French actor Jane Birkin, who died in July last year. Many people outside France are familiar with her because of this iconic bag.

Jane Birkin was on a plane when she met Jean-Louis Dumas, the head Hermes (a company owned by a family). Dumas agreed to create a handbag for Birkin that would accommodate all of her essentials. He then delivered to Paris, an Hermes bag designed to Birkin’s specifications.

The fake Birkin bag is now a symbol of sophistication and exclusivity. Hermes does not sell the bag in its majority of stores, nor do they offer discounts or promotions.

It can be difficult to acquire a Birkin from Hermes, more than the Kelly bag that was named after Grace Kelly. Due to this difficulty, an entire industry has been dedicated to finding a way to obtain one. Books have been written on this quest and internet forums offer various methods designed to fool Hermes to sell one. However, these efforts often fail.

The secondary market for Birkin bags is very large. Birkins are expensive and require a significant investment (prices can start at Rs9 lakh or go up to astronomical amounts depending on the materials), but buyers can resell them instantly for a 25% higher price, making it worth their while in time. Birkins outperformed US stock markets when it comes to value appreciation for the past two decades. They’re now more than just handbags, they are iconic symbols of luxury culture.

This phenomenon is not without its critics. Two California shoppers filed a lawsuit in a class action against Hermes, claiming that the company refused to sell Birkins to them despite numerous attempts to purchase them and forced them to buy other Hermes products first before they were allowed to purchase one. They considered this unfair.

It is hard to imagine Hermes staff pressuring clients into buying additional products. Hermes profits are increasing steadily, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to buy any Hermes bag without an appointment.

Birkin bags are rare because of the complex handwork required to create them. Birkin bags are created by hand by highly-trained artisans. Some training programs can take up to seven years to master the most complex bags. Hermes employs more than 3,000 artisans in 15 ateliers throughout France. Although production cannot keep up with demand, the company continues to add artisans. Demand still outstrips the supply.

Hermes is different from other luxury brands because it uses traditional artisanship in order to create its bags at a much smaller scale than what industrial production allows. Hermes and Chanel, two family-owned brands since generations, have risen to the top of luxury markets due to their focus on handcrafting. This is unlike other brands managed by conglomerates like LVMH and Kering.

Hermes bags are a popular choice for discerning buyers who have new wealth in the 21st Century. Hermes shops are experiencing a surge in demand, even though the bags displayed may be only for viewing. The actual purchase process can take a lot of time and requires further negotiations with sales associates.

Hermes’ iconic Birkin bag is a part of the company’s legacy, but it is not all. Under the leadership of Jean-Louis Dumas, this company began as a saddle-maker, and then became known for silks. It has since expanded to produce high-quality watches and homewares as well as clothing, and cement its legacy as a maker of craftsmanship.

Even super-rich people cannot buy Birkin bags at their leisure. It doesn’t matter who wants it; whether it is a Russian oligarch or an Arab sheikh, a Chinese tycoon or whoever else. They all have to queue just like everyone else in order to buy one.