(CNN) — The unique Hermès Birkin bag, which acted because the blueprint for what would turn out to be some of the fascinating superstar standing symbols on the planet, will go beneath the hammer in Paris subsequent month.
The capacious saddle-stitched purse, impressed by actor and singer Jane Birkin who died in 2023, will lead the “Style Icons” sale at Sotheby’s on July 10, the public sale home mentioned in an announcement Thursday.
Often known as “The Unique Birkin,” the all-black, leather-based purse is the primary model of the timeless luxurious staple, which was envisaged about 40 years in the past after an opportunity encounter on a aircraft between Birkin and then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, Sotheby’s mentioned.
“There are uncommon moments on the planet of style when an object transcends tendencies and turns into a legend. Jane Birkin’s Unique Birkin bag is such a second,” mentioned Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s world head of purses and style, within the assertion.
Halimi mentioned the bag “stands shoulder to shoulder with different distinctive objects with equally dazzling provenance,” akin to Princess Diana’s “black sheep” sweater and British rock star Freddie Mercury’s crown and cloak.
“Like them, the Unique Birkin holds the potential to redefine data,” Halimi added. CNN requested Sotheby’s how a lot they count on the purse to promote for, however the public sale home wouldn’t present an estimate.
Birkin herself acknowledged the bag’s legacy as a pop cultural phenomenon.
She instructed CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2020 that, after the bag’s fame skyrocketed, she puzzled whether or not it would – fairly than her motion pictures or hit tune “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” – turn out to be what she was greatest remembered for.
“Bless me, once I’m useless… (folks) will probably solely speak in regards to the bag,” she joked.
The origin story of the bag began with an sudden encounter.
On a flight in 1984, Birkin discovered herself seated subsequent to Dumas. They struck up a dialog wherein she mentioned she wished a bag “half the scale of my suitcase,” Birkin instructed Amanpour.
“He mentioned, ‘Effectively, draw it for me,’ and so I drew it on a type of sick luggage – the vomit luggage – within the airplane,” Birkin mentioned.
The unique Birkin differs from subsequent variations in seven methods, Sotheby’s mentioned, with its measurement, metallic rings, brass {hardware}, shoulder strap, zip and backside studs setting the prototype aside from future luggage.
The bag, which is branded with Birkin’s initials – “J.B” – on the entrance flap, additionally has a pair of nail clippers hanging from the shoulder strap, the public sale home mentioned.
It is going to go on public show at Sotheby’s New York galleries from June 6 to 12.
Hundreds flocked to see the bag when it was exhibited publicly at Sotheby’s Paris Galleries final autumn, after which at Sotheby’s Maison in Hong Kong earlier this 12 months, the public sale home added.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable Information Community, Inc., a Time Warner Firm. All rights reserved.