The Most Expensive Bag In The World: Jane Birkin’s Original Hermès Birkin Bag Sells for Record $10.1 Million

The very first Hermès Birkin bag, once owned by the late British-French icon Jane Birkin, has sold for a staggering $10.1 million, setting a new world record for the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction, according to Sotheby’s.

The iconic black leather accessory—crafted in 1984 and gifted to Birkin following a chance encounter with Hermès executive Jean-Louis Dumas aboard a flight from Paris to London—became the prototype for what would evolve into the ultimate status symbol.

Birkin, who told Dumas she couldn’t find a stylish, practical bag as a young mother, inspired the fashion mogul to sketch what would become the Birkin bag. Designed with saddle stitching and a spacious build, it was born out of both function and flair.

Though retail Birkin bags typically range between $20,000 to $30,000, they can command exponentially higher prices on the secondary market depending on rarity, color, and material. However, this historic piece transcended fashion—Sotheby’s noted its sale as a blend of celebrity legacy, design history, and cultural significance.

Jane Birkin famously personalized the bag with stickers and charms representing her activism, including Médecins du Monde and UNICEF, transforming the luxury item into a canvas of humanitarian expression. She originally auctioned it in 1994 to support AIDS charities.

Despite its fame, Birkin herself later admitted the bag was “too heavy” and rarely used it, opting instead to “fill her pockets like a man.” In interviews, she often dismissed the notion of being a fashion icon, saying she simply wore what she liked without regard for trends.

Birkin passed away in 2023 at age 76, two years after suffering a stroke. Her namesake bag lives on—not just as a fashion statement, but now as a $10.1 million symbol of design, rarity, and a life well-lived.