page_title: Birkin bag
hierarchical_section_title: Birkin bag
caption_attribution_description: English: Hermes Birkin Purse. Español: El bolso modelo Birkin, fabricado por la compañía Hermès. 한국어: 에르메스 버킨백
context_page_description: The Birkin bag is a line of tote bags by the French luxury goods maker, Hermès, that is handmade in leather and named after English actress and singer Jane Birkin. Introduced in the 1980s, the bag quickly became a symbol of wealth and exclusivity due to its high price and long waiting lists. Birkins are the most popular bag with handbag collectors, and was once seen as the rarest handbag in the world. The bag's value as a matter of its intentionally high price has led to its being described as a Veblen good.
  In 2020, prices started at US$11,000 and have reached up to HK$2.94 million when a bag was sold at auction by Christie's in Hong Kong for a record price in May 2017. Costs can vary widely according to the type of leather, if exotic skins are used, and if precious metals and jewels are part of the bag. Birkins are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, which create artificial scarcity and exclusivity; however, the bags have flooded the upscale resale market and are frequently sold in second-hand boutiques and through social media.
context_section_description: The Birkin bag (or simply, Birkin) is a line of tote bags by the French luxury goods maker, Hermès, that is handmade in leather and named after English actress and singer Jane Birkin. Introduced in the 1980s, the bag quickly became a symbol of wealth and exclusivity due to its high price and long waiting lists. Birkins are the most popular bag with handbag collectors, and was once seen as the rarest handbag in the world. The bag's value as a matter of its intentionally high price has led to its being described as a Veblen good.
  In 2020, prices started at US$11,000 and have reached up to HK$2.94 million (US$380,000) when a bag was sold at auction by Christie's in Hong Kong for a record price in May 2017. Costs can vary widely according to the type of leather, if exotic skins are used, and if precious metals and jewels are part of the bag. Birkins are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, which create artificial scarcity and exclusivity; however, the bags have flooded the upscale resale market and are frequently sold in second-hand boutiques and through social media.
caption: Birkin bag made from calf leather that has been dyed pink
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon DIGITAL IXUS i zoom", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "180", "Image YResolution": "180", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2008:12:06 16:45:19", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "224", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1066", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "2268", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/60", "EXIF FNumber": "16/5", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:07:06 23:36:36", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:07:06 23:36:36", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "3", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "189/32", "EXIF ApertureValue": "107/32", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "107/32", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, auto mode, red-eye reduction mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "63/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1921", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1442", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "11520", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "81000/7", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Portrait"}