The first ever Birkin bag to go on show at the V&A
The first ever Birkin bag owned by Jane Birkin will go on show as part of the V&A's forthcoming major fashion exhibition, Bags: Inside Out, opening on 21 November. The iconic style, for which there are still wait lists even today, was first designed in 1984.
The bag was created after a chance meeting between Birkin and Hermès' then executive chairman, Jean-Louis Dumas. The two bumped into each other on a flight from Paris to London where they talked about how Birkin couldn't find a suitable bag to carry all her belongings and the paraphernalia that comes with being a new mother. Dumas was inspired to sketch a design on a plane sickness bag - a rectangular holdall with a burnished flap and saddle stitching. The finished creation was named after Birkin herself, and it quickly became popular with women who wanted a bag that was functional as well as stylish.
The bag featured in the V&A's exhibition bears the singer's initials and even the residue from the stickers Birkin covered it with.
Today, the production of Birkin bags are limited - an estimated 12,000 are made every year - which only adds to their desirability. A 2017 study found that purchasing a Birkin is a less risky investment than buying gold or entering the stock market.
“The 'Birkin' is one of the most sought-after and celebrated handbags of the 20th and 21th century," said exhibition curator Lucia Savi. "We are thrilled that we will display the very first piece made for Jane Birkin which started this long-lasting fascination. This is a truly unique bag which was used and reused by its former owner and shows signs of wear on its surface. These very personal details remind us that bags are status symbols, but also practical companions to our everyday life.”
Other notable pieces that will feature in the showcase include Mulberry handbags worn by Kate Moss and Alexa Chung, two of the brand's best-selling styles. The exhibition will also delve into historically significant bags, from a large embroidered burse used to protect the silver matrix of Elizabeth I’s Great Seal of England and a gas mask bag owned by HRH Queen Mary during the Second World War to Winston Churchill’s red despatch box.
Tickets for Bags: Inside Out are available to buy now at vam.ac.uk.
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