Sotheby's is set to auction the original Hermès Birkin bag owned by the late actress and singer Jane Birkin. This iconic black leather bag, commissioned in 1984 by Jean-Louis Dumas, then CEO of Hermès, will be put up for sale in Paris on July 10.
The bag's story began on a flight where Birkin met Dumas and complained about the lack of a suitable bag. She sketched a design on an airplane sick bag, which Dumas later presented as the original Birkin bag. The bag features Birkin's initials, "J.B.," on the front flap.
Before the auction, the bag will be displayed at Sotheby's headquarters in New York from June 6 to 12. Birkin sold her bag in 1994 to raise funds for an AIDS charity. The bag was later owned by a collector identified as "Catherine B" and is now being sold by Sotheby's. The auction is expected to draw significant attention, potentially setting new records.