Why the iconic Hermès Birkin was first designed on a sick bag: Jane Birkin met the luxury brand’s chairman Jean-Louis Dumas on an Air France flight in the 1980s – and doodled her dream handbag for him
- French singer and actress Jane Birkin just died at her home in Paris at age 76, and is remembered for her creative accomplishments – and for inspiring one of fashion’s most covetable handbags
- The Hermès Birkin appears on the arms of A-listers across the globe, can sell for millions at auction, and has years-long waiting lists – but began as a doodle on an aeroplane sick bag
The Birkin handbag was conceived by Birkin herself, who was found dead at her home in Paris on Sunday, at age 76. The cause of her death is not yet known, though Birkin reportedly suffered from health issues after a stroke in 2021.
The story behind the Hermès Birkin handbag
In 1981, Birkin found herself sitting next to Jean-Louis Dumas – who was chairman of French luxury design house Hermès at the time – when she was upgraded by Air France on a flight to London, she told Leitch.
After spilling the contents of her handbag on the plane floor, Dumas said to her: “You should have one with pockets,” to which she replied: “The day Hermès makes one with pockets I will have that.”
Dumas reportedly responded: “But I am Hermès, and I will put pockets in for you.”
She then drew the design of a handbag she wanted on an aeroplane sickness bag. Dumas agreed to make it for her on the condition that she’d let him use her surname as the name of the bag – and the Birkin was born.
Birkin told Leitch that Hermès paid her an annual royalty of £30,000 in 2011, which currently works out as US$39,000. She then distributed this income to her chosen charities.