Handbag (I)

Hermès

Birkin bag (1984)

Founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès (1801-1878) in Paris, the Hermès Fashion House is specialized in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury goods, and ready-to-wear. Thierry Hermes started his business by handcrafting horse harnesses for caliches and carriages. He crafted an indestructible saddle stitch which will be later on appreciated and renowned by the European royalty. In 1879 Hermèz included the manufacturing of saddles and in 1922 the company introduced its first handbags.

It wasn’t until 1984 that Hermès launched the iconic Birkin bag. Originally created for Jane Birkin, who struggled to find a leather weekend bag that she liked and that would hold all of her belongings, the Birkin bag is now considered the Holy Grail of bags. Each is handmade by one master craftsman, from start to finish, using their famous saddle stitch. With closed waiting lists and limited production (5 per week in Paris workshops), purchasing the legendary Birkin is almost a ritual.

Why on Wikiconic?
Heritage, design.
Alternatives
Photo credits
© Hermès, Paris, France

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of any copyright material and to contact the owner. The author does not intend to infringe on anyone’s copyright for text, photos or otherwise. Anyone who feels that any item in these pages may have inadvertently breeched their copyright should advise the author via the contact sheet, including a link to the page, so that appropriate remedial action can be taken.

Buy now

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.