On July 10, Hermès broke a new auction record with the original model of its iconic Birkin bag. A private Japanese collector agreed to pay €8.6 million ($10 million) at the “Fashion Icons” sale organized by Sotheby’s France.
Is it a handbag? No. Is it a work of art? No, it’s a Birkin…
No stranger to causing a stir in auction rooms, Hermès made history when the hammer fell on July 10 at Sotheby’s France during its “Fashion Icons” sale, which also featured pieces from Dior.
Like Superman flying through the air, all eyes were on the successive bids for this “centerpiece” of the sale, the historic Birkin bag.
Sold for €8.6 million, the very first bag of its kind, designed in the 1980s by the saddler for the British singer and actress, then ex-partner of Serge Gainsbourg, became the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction.
Record broken
The sale of this “prototype Birkin bag” in smooth black leather, belonging to Jane Birkin, the 1960s it-girl who gave it its name, started with a starting price of €1 million.
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Read also > [Luxus Magazine] Jane Birkin, the French people’s beloved baby doll
Featured photo: © Sotheby’s
