The Birkin

Of all bags in world, there's one that everyone who knows something about fashion recognizes. Is the bag which everyone in fashion world must have, wants, desire and longs for. It is not a typical bag, and it has a story behind. A chance meeting and an informal talk were the blame for its creation. I am talking about a bag which is considered the bag and which never has lost the number one place of the most famous and desired bags, the Birkin of Hermès.

The design is intended for a woman with an active way of life, who has style, class and power (and lots of money). The design is simple but efficient and it is needed five weeks to make one. It is a leather (of different kinds) rectangle with two short handles fixed with plated pieces. Under the handles there are two straps that are subjected by bridges. On that straps it’s the lock and a tether with a fabric bell at the end. The inside is usually made with goat leather which is dyed with the same color that the external color, and has a large pocket closed with a zip and an open pocket in front of the zipped one. There are two sizes for the Birkin, but both keep the same shape. As the main material is leather, includes an accessory to cover in case of rain.

That bag is so desired that there’s a popular legend that says that those who want a personalized Birkin must be two years on a waiting list if you aren’t so famous or a regular customer. Just crazy. You can buy it if you go with the money to the store too, but it is complicated, because the clerks have to consider you suitable and they must be sure that you aren’t from those who later resell the bag.

If you want a new one, you can buy it only physically in Hermès exclusive stores, but as I said, the clerks should consider yourself worthy to have this little treasure. It is known that some future Birkin owners had tried to bribe the clerks of the stores for dates of arrival to the store of the model, dates stored as a state secret by the employees, who never accept bribes. If you don’t care that is second-handed, you can buy it in a lot of websites, but you risk buying copies or paying up to seven times its real price, which is not exactly cheap...

All that madness for having a Birkin sounds even worst if you look the price. The most economical is priced at 6000$. It’s the one which is made with the basic leather and palladium clasps and buckles. Then, the price increases according to the material which is manufactured. The most used are goat skin, ostrich leather, cobra or phyton skin and crocodile skin. You can found it in gold too, but even crocodile skin can be more expensive that the model made in gold depending on the size of the flake. The Birkin made with the smaller flakes are the most expensive ones (people pay more than 100,000$ for them).

You can increase the value of your exclusive bag by adding details such as closures in yellow, white or pink gold, enamel details, or simply requesting that has sconces recovered with diamonds or paveé. 

The celebrities also personalize it with their personal touch, such as Lady Gaga and her studded Birkin or Victoria Beckham and her enameled like a diamond bag.

But the most expensive Birkin is the one made of crocodile dyed like gold, real gold and diamonds, priced in 1, 9$ million. Its model is smaller than the rest, and it’s designed as a big bracelet with the bag strap on the wrist. There are only a few models in world, and all of them were sold very quickly.

Cheap or expensive, in ostrich or crocodile leather, with palladium or gold and diamonds clasps, there’s a thing we can deny: although it has nearly 40 years, the Birkin is still being the king of the handbags.