The first ever Birkin bag, the prototype for fashion's must-have accessory, was put up for auction on July 10 and was sold for a staggering 8.6 million euros ($10.1 million), including fees.
The iconic handbag from the French luxury label Hermes gold sold at Sotheby's auction as part of the Paris Fashion Icon's sale, becoming the most expensive handbag ever sold at an auction.
Now, the original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermès created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is in a new league of its own.
Who bought the OG Birkin?
While Sotheby’s didn’t identify the buyer of the original Birkin bag, it did say that the Hermes bag went to an unidentified “private collector” from Japan. As per Sotheby's, the buyer from Japan made the bid over phone.
Since the OG Birkin was sold for $10 million dollars, the social media has gone into a detective mode trying to find out who this ‘private collector’ from Japan is.
Some people said that the Japanese buyer of the Birkin bag “has over 80 pieces - 30 of which are rare or exotic leather”.
According to a report by Japan Times, the Birkin bag buyer is Valuence Japan, a luxury goods reseller based out of Tokyo.
Valuence Japan, which specialises in the reuse business, is a key subsidiary of Valuence Holdings Inc. Established in 2011, the luxury reseller primarily buys, auctions and sells premium goods, precious metals, watches, bags, jewelry, antiques, art objects, and other valuable items both within Japan and internationally.
Paris fashion house Hermès exclusively commissioned the bag for the London-born Birkin in 1984 — branding it with her initials J.B. on the front flap, below the lock — and delivered the finished one-of-a-kind bag to her the following year, Sotheby's said.
10 minutes, 9 bidders, and SOLD
As the auction for the original Birkin started, tension brewed in the room.
The auction room buzzed with anticipation as the sale got underway, with the auctioneer reminding the crowd that the bag was “totally unique” and “the most famous bag of all time.”
What came after was a 10-minute long intense session of bids, which started at 1 million euros, increasing as quickly as possible.
From the starting price, bids rocketed past 2 million euros, then 3 million, 4 million and 5 million, to astonished gasps. When the price jumped from 5.5 million to 6 million euros in one swoop, there were whistles and applause.
The final bids were 6.2 million euros, then 6.5 million, then 6.8 million before the Japanese buyer’s last winning bid: 7 million euros.
The bidding war was between nine collectors, with telephone bidders fighting it out at the end. The buyer from Japan got the ultimate bid, and the Birkin bag was sold for $10 million.
