News
The Hermès Birkin
Becomes a 3-in-1
By The Rebag Team, July 17, 2023
The Hermès Birkin Turns Into a Multitasker.
First crafted in 1984, this iconic style came to be after Jean-Louis Dumas, then head of Hermès, had a chance encounter on a flight from London to Paris with the beguiling Jane Birkin, British fashion icon, model, and singer. According to the tale, Birkin was carrying a straw purse, and lamented that she couldn’t find a leather handbag that fit her style and needs. This launched a collaborative effort between Dumas and Birkin to imagine a design that would fit the bill — and the Birkin bag was born.
It was on a fortuitous 1981 Air France flight from Paris to London that Jane Birkin sat next to Hermès chairman Jean-Louis Dumas. As the basket she used to hold her and her daughter Lou Doillon’s belongings toppled out of the overhead compartment, Birkin told Dumas that she wish she had a bag that would hold all her things. Dumas sketched out a bag that would later be named the “Birkin” after the actress who inspired it.
That was 40 years ago. This fall, Hermès releases its newest iteration of the coveted Birkin bag, which commands anywhere from the low five figures to six figures at auction, depending on the model and material. The new 3-in-1 Birkin initially made its debut last March during Paris fashion week, and will be available this fall. What, exactly, are the three components that make the new Hermès Birkin bag a 3-in-1? It can be a tote, a pouch, or a tote and a pouch, ideal for the woman on the go who doesn’t always need to carry a giant handbag around, or someone who may need a smaller clutch for evening occasions.
The newest part of the Birkin consists of a pochette (French for pouch) with a flap that can either be attached to the bag and act as a compartment and a flap. When removed, it can be carried as a clutch or a pouch, used for smaller essentials, like a phone, mask, keys, and a wallet. The main bag becomes an open tote. When the pouch is attached to the bigger bag’s gussets, it serves as a flap that keeps the bag closed, and an additional pouch within the bag.
The price of the 3-in-1 Birkin? $14,400 — provided that you can get your hands on one.
