Summary

Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin prototype is heading to Sotheby’s auction block.

The design will lead the house’s Fashion Icons sale in Paris on July 10.

Millionaire fashion historians, this one’s for you: Jane Birkin’s original Hermès Birkin is heading to Sotheby’s auction house in Paris this July.

The legendary bag, commissioned in 1984 exclusively for and in collaboration with Jane Birkin by then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas, laid the groundwork for what would become the most coveted fashion accessory in the world. The all-black leather prototype, now deemed the “Original Birkin,” is distinguished by seven unique design elements (including a shoulder strap, gilded brass hardware, and a front flap stamped with “J.B.” initials) that never made it to future i

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