Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Everything You Need to Know About the Hermès Birkin

Everything You Need to Know About the Hermès Birkin

The iconic handbag, which spurred years-long waitlists and is considered a better investment than gold, remains one of the fashion world's most coveted accessories.

The Hermès Birkin is one of the most coveted handbags among fashion enthusiasts, but what exactly makes the simple leather top handle a must-have accessory?

Created by French luxury brand Hermès in the 1980s, Birkin bags are considered a symbol of wealth and exclusivity due to their extremely limited production. In some cases, the Birkin is considered even more valuable than gold.

Here is everything you need to know about the iconic handbag.

Who created the Birkin?


Jean-Louis Dumas, the executive chairman of Hermès from 1978 to 2006, created the bag for British actress and style icon Jane Birkin. His original goal was to create a bag with enough storage space while retaining a timeless design.

In 1984, Birkin sat next to Dumas on a plane from Paris to London. She complained that she still hadn't found anything that suited her lifestyle as a young mother; there was no simple bag to fit all of her daily necessities. Dumas immediately outlined a spacious and supple rectangular bag with polished saddle lid and stitching. The bag even came equipped with a space for baby bottles.

                

Jane Birkin photographed by Guégan for L'OFFICIEL Spring 1974

Why is a Birkin so expensive?


Entry-level Birkin bags with simple hardware are priced at around $9,000, according to Grazia Magazine.

The Birkin is made by skilled Hermès artisans, taking a craftsman 18 to 25 hours to complete a bag from cutting and smoothing leather, hand stitching the bag together, and attaching and polishing the hardware.

In addition to the top-quality materials and impeccable craftsmanship, the value of a Birkin lies in their limited quantity. This scarcity causes the price of the bag to increase as more and more people crave this precious bag, often turning to the resale market to get one.

What is the most expensive Birkin ever sold?




The Hermès Birkin White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Skin Diamond is the most expensive Birkin ever sold, going for over $379,000 at Christie's in Hong Kong in 2016. The bag was handcrafted from Niloticus alligator leather with more than 240 diamonds on 18 karat gold hardware.

Special Birkins


In addition to the usual Birkin bags currently on the market, as well as bags made with extremely rare and expensive materials, Hermès also releases special versions of the iconic handbag.



Why is the Birkin more precious than gold?


The Birkin is considered a good investment, meaning the luxury item has increasing demand and corresponding prices due to its scarcity, not to mention its reputation as a status symbol.

With that said, owning a Birkin can be considered a smarter investment than gold as its value only increases over time. According to The Fashion Law, "unlike the S&P 500 and gold, the value of Birkin handbags has never decreased and has steadily and consistently increased."

How can you buy a Birkin?


Unless you're a celebrity - and often even then - you'll be hard pressed to get a Birkin just by walking into an Hermès boutique. The Hermès Birkin is a tough designer item to hunt, especially since the brand doesn't reveal how many of them they will make in a year. Also, not all stores have the opportunity to display Birkin bags, and the waiting list seems to be endless.

It seems that in addition to having plenty of money, you will also need a fortune to get the chance to buy the bag in the store. And if you get lucky, the staff selling you your dream Birkin bag is a whole different story.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
×