This Is Why the Hermès Birkin Bag Is the Most Sought-After Luxury Handbag in the World

Thanks to its iconic Birkin bag, Hermès continues to maintain its supremacy in the luxury handbag space. The French label’s Birkin sits atop the list of the most iconic designer bags in the world, according to data from Google search volume and Instagram collected by Slingo. With average monthly searches of 159,208 between 2020 and 2023, Birkin remains an elusive luxury staple revered by fashion aficionados and the global elite.

The recent spike in searches for Birkin has also been due to the demise of Jane Birkin, the trailblazing French artist who inspired this offering. Clearly, the bag’s exorbitant prices have got nothing on its popularity, which only soared in the last three years.

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According to the data, Birkin’s average monthly searches went up from 149,000 in 2020 to 159,208 in 2023, showing a 19% climb. Following the Birkin is Louis Vuitton‘s timeless Neverfull handbag, with 126,629 average monthly searches. Gucci’s Marmont bag is third, with 82,375 average monthly searches.

 

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Born in 1984 owing to a chance flight encounter between Hermès’ then chairman Jean-Louis Dumas and Jane Birkin, the bag quickly became a symbol of wealth and riches. Birkin’s grandeur and exclusivity made it an obvious collectable for celebrities. The bags enjoyed massive popularity among the who’s who of the global entertainment scene — whether it’s Beyoncé singing about the Birkins, Drake collecting them for his future life partner, or Kanye West handing out multiple bags to his former girlfriend Julia Fox and her pals.

The most basic Birkins come at a whopping price of USD 10,000. On the other hand, expensive iterations like the diamond Himalayan Birkin 30 sold for USD 450,000 last year.

How did the Birkin bag come into being?

British actress Jane Birkin was travelling on a Paris-London flight when she met Hermès’ then-chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas. The duo struck up an exciting conversation wherein Birkin said she wanted a bag ‘half the size of my suitcase,’ which would cater to all her needs as a young mother. The creative visionary Dumas got quite inspired by their rendezvous. This led him to create a supple black leather bag, which he offered to name after her. The actress carried many variations of her namesake bag over the years, and it eventually became a status symbol.

 

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(Feature image credit: Hermès and main image credit: Sothebys)

This story first appeared here.