The Hermès Birkin’s Origins
In the year 1900, Émile-Maurice and Adolphe Hermès set out to create a line of equestrian leather goods to suit the needs of the burgeoning upper echelons of global society. Included in this fresh product lineup, was the Haute-à-Courroies, known colloquially as the HAC. The original HAC was designed to carry a saddle and help transport equestrian equipment for the rider. This design remained largely unchanged before one fateful Air France flight in the early 1980s in which Jean-Louis Dumas and Jane Birkin happened to meet.
This iconic style came to be after Jean-Louis Dumas, then head of Hermès, had a chance encounter on a flight from London to Paris with the beguiling Jane Birkin, British fashion icon, model, and singer. According to the tale, Birkin was carrying a straw purse, and lamented that she couldn’t find a leather handbag that fit her style and needs. This launched a collaborative effort between Dumas and Birkin to imagine a design that would fit the bill — and the Birkin bag was born. In 1984, the Hermès Birkin bag was put into production, using the actress’s name who inspired the design.
The Popularity Of The Birkin
The Hermès Birkin bag was an instant commercial success, however, Hermès had an interesting marketing tactic that they are now notorious for using. Hermès would artificially decrease the number of Birkin bags that a given store could buy. When store managers would go to Podium, the twice-yearly international Hermès buying extravaganza in Paris, they would have a select number of Birkins they could buy for their stores depending on their client base and supply. This created the appearance of scarcity that Hermès still implements. The number of Hermès Birkin bags currently in retail and resale circulation is unfathomable. Hermès does not report the production numbers to the public so there is not much insight into the secretive process. In 2014, it was reported by The Economist that an estimated 70,000 Birkin bags were created that year for global supply.
The Original HAC was designed to carry a saddle and
help transport equestrian equipment for the rider.
In the 1990s and early 2000s, rumors spread of a “Birkin Waitlist”, or a list at each boutique that prioritized clients in order of their requesting for a Birkin bag. The intention of the list was for clients to believe that when their name was next, they would receive the opportunity to purchase the must-have bag. Reports for many years have been that the store associates, when asked about the availability of the Birkin bag, would have one of two responses: 1) We do not have a Birkin in stock, or 2) Please put your name on this waitlist and we will call you when one becomes available. This waitlist was rumored to be anything from several months to three years long or more, which is quite the to-do surrounding any handbag or designer.
However, the waitlist rumors began to fall apart when clients began to share and talk to one another about their Birkin buying experiences on various handbag forums and platforms. Buyers began to strategize how to attain one for themselves based on experienced sellers’ know-how. Reports came in about having to buy a certain quantity of non-leather goods in order to qualify, having to build rapport with sales associates at a specific boutique to qualify, and even to dress in a “deserving” outfit in order to get your hands on a Birkin bag. All of these rumors went up in smoke when clients began reporting that they simply walked in one day and got offered one upfront, no purchasing or previous Hermès experience under their belt. How is this possible when there is more than likely a long waitlist at these stores? It seems likely that the Birkin waitlist was either purely fictional or perhaps a subtle technique that stores used to drum up anticipation and an aura of exclusivity. So, what’s the best strategy to get your hands on one? Ask nicely and you may get lucky!
The Birkin Becomes a 3-in-1
Hermès unveiled its newest Birkin, a 3-in-1, on its Fall/Winter 2021 runway in March 2021. What makes the new Hermès Birkin bag a 3-in-1? It can be a tote, a pouch, or a tote and a pouch, ideal for the woman on the go who doesn’t always need to carry a giant handbag around, or someone who may need a smaller clutch for evening occasions.
The newest part of the Birkin consists of a pochette (French for pouch) with a flap that can either be attached to the bag and act as a compartment and a flap. When removed, it can be carried as a clutch or a pouch, used for smaller essentials, like a phone, mask, keys, and a wallet. The main bag becomes an open tote. When the pouch is attached to the bigger bag’s gussets, it serves as a flap that keeps the bag closed, and an additional pouch within the bag.
Birkin Sizing Reference
The Hermès Birkin has been offered in many sizes ver the years, with some being
introduced and discontinued along the way. To date, the Birkin bags been offered
in the following sizes to offer complete versatility to each client’s needs:
