Why the Hermes Birkin Bag Is the Most Sought after and the Most Cloned Bag

Its history in 1981, Hermès chief executive, Jean-Louis Dumas was seated next to British singer and actress, Jane Birkin, on a flight from Paris to London. She had just placed her straw bag in the overhead com­partment of her seat, but the con­tents fell to the deck, leaving her to scramble to replace them. Birkin explained to Dumas that it had been difficult to find a leather weekend bag she liked. In 1984, he created a black supple leather bag for her, based on a 1982 design. The bag has since become an icon.

• It is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and usage by celebri­ties. Its prices range from $10,500 to $150,000. Costs escalate according to the type of materials used to make it; from calf leather, ostrich, crocodile, and lizard. The most expensive is the one made of saltwater crocodile skin. The company justifies the cost of it, compared to other bags, based on the meticulous craftsmanship and scarcity.
• The bags are handmade in France by expert artisans. The company’s signature saddle stitch­ing, developed in the 1800s, is one distinctive feature that sets it apart.

Each bag is hand-sewn, buffed, painted, and polished, taking several days to finish. Leathers are obtained from different tanners in France, re­sulting in varying smells and textures. Because of the individual craftsman­ship, other details of the bags may not all match.

• The bags are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, creating scarcity and exclusivity.
• Bags with smaller scales cost more than those with larger scales and is lined with goat-skin. The color of the interior will always matches the exterior.
• They are sold in a range of sizes. Each one may be made to order with different customer-chosen hides, color, and hardware fixtures. There are other individual options, such as diamond-encrusting.
• It is highly coveted and, for several years, was reputed for hav­ing a waiting list of up to six years, the longest wait for any bag in histo­ry. As a result of the strong demand, the it has a high resale value in many countries, especially in Asia.
• There are web articles ex­plaining and guiding women on how to buy a Birkin are very popular.