Jane Birkin’s original Hermès handbag sells for record €8.6m at Paris auction

<p>Prototype for iconic Hermès Birkin bag, once owned by British-born singer and actor, is most expensive fashion accessory ever sold at auction in Europe</p><p>A unique if well worn handbag created for the singer and actor Jane Birkin by the French luxury goods firm Hermès has been knocked down in Paris at €8.6m (£7.4m), making it the most expensive fashion accessory ever sold at auction in Europe.</p><p>The original battered Birkin bag, the only one of its kind, was used by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jul/16/jane-birkin-actor-and-singer-dies-aged-76">France’s favourite “</a><em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jul/16/jane-birkin-actor-and-singer-dies-aged-76">petite Anglaise</a></em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jul/16/jane-birkin-actor-and-singer-dies-aged-76">”</a>, who died in 2023, for nine years and still bears traces of the stickers she stuck on its black leather.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2025/jul/10/jane-birkins-original-hermes-handbag-sells-for-record-86m-at-paris-auction">Continue reading...</a>