Jane Mallory Birkin, the British actress who inspired the coveted Hermès Birkin handbag, died from natural causes at age 76.
She was found unresponsive in her Paris home on Sunday, July 16, Le Parisien reports. Birkin suffered from health problems over the years, according to Vanity Fair.
Birkin was an actress and singer. But she is best known for inspiring one of the world’s most coveted designer handbags.
The Birkin bag is beloved by many celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, and Paris Hilton.
The Birkin bag was born in 1983 on an Air France flight from Paris to London. Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas was seated next to Birkin on the flight. She placed her signature Birkin straw basket in the overhead bin, but the contents spilled out on the floor.
Birkin explained to Dumas that she had difficulty finding a leather weekend bag that she liked. She scribbled a sketch of the type of bag she wanted.
To accommodate all her stuff, it had to be larger than the timeless classic Hermès Kelly bag, named after American actress Grace Kelly.
In 1984, Dumas created a black plush leather handbag exclusively for Jane Birkin.
The Birkin bag became a status symbol for the rich and famous all over the world.
The waiting list is long for a brand new Birkin bag. A used Birkin bag can fetch anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000.
In 2015, Birkin wrote a letter to Hermès asking that her name be removed from the croc bag due to the “cruel practices” used to kill crocodiles for their skins.
Hermès soon announced they’d met Jane Birkin’s demands to use more acceptable humane methods to acquire crocodile skins.
