Hermès Birkin Bag: Exclusivity, Status, and Fashion

Introduction: The World's Most Coveted Handbag

The cost of the average handbag traditionally runs from $20 to $100. However, patrons of the exclusive fashion house Hermès are always in search of the next coveted item to delight their eyes and impress their peers. The Birkin Bag proved to be just such an item. Hermès is a brand that has long cultivated an image of exclusivity, and the Birkin became one of its flagship products.

"Hermès bags stand alone, prominently on a pedestal of definitive grace and grandeur. Hermès bags are the most coveted crème de la crème handbags — handbags that boast waiting lists of ten years. Hermès is the designer behind the much sought-after Birkin bag, a bag that celebrities simply itch to possess; and the price of this masterful creation only starts at $6,000" (Hermes Bags, 2011, Love to Know).

This price tag is obviously beyond the reach of most ordinary consumers. Defenders of the bag's price often point to its custom craftsmanship and styling as justification for its exorbitant cost. However, the emphasis on hard-to-find colors and materials as a way of driving prices even higher, the fascination with celebrities who own the coveted bag, and the steep cost at a time when so many people cannot afford basic necessities have caused many observers to view it as an example of wretched excess (Givhan, 2004).

Origins of the Hermès Brand and the Birkin Bag

Hermès was founded in 1837, making it one of the oldest fashion houses in the world today (Hermes Bags, 2011, Love to Know). It first became famous for purveying scarves. "These scarves were modeled after those worn by Napoleon's soldiers, and the liberated women of the early 1900s eagerly adopted these somewhat masculine scarves. Even today, the Hermès scarf remains the most commonly purchased item" (Hermes Bags, 2011, Love to Know).

However, the company's flagship scarves have been eclipsed by its Birkin Bags. While many of Hermès' bags cost several thousand dollars, the Birkin Bag is particularly notable for "requiring several years on a waiting list. The Birkin bag can come in styles crafted out of ostrich skin or turquoise leather, with gleaming gold hardware comprising the delicate front clasp" (Hermes Bags, 2011, Love to Know).

The bags are custom-made by the hands of a single artisan and are never mass-produced. "Each bag requires a single, flawless skin, rendering production wholly susceptible to the throes of Mother Nature. If there's a drought in New Zealand, as there was a few years ago, the availability of ostrich decreases drastically. It typically takes six months to two years to find an exotic skin for a bag. After that, the entirely by-hand construction of a Birkin requires 72 hours to two weeks to complete, limiting weekly output to two or three bags" (Kroll, 2007).

To drive demand and encourage current owners to covet new models, Hermès is always releasing new designs, such as its shoulder bag variations. The "classic" Birkin is black with a gold clasp. "Its hardware is gold-plated. It comes with a small padlock and keys" (Givhan, 2004).

The name "Birkin" originates with the British film actress Jane Birkin, "for whom it was designed," but its status and mythology have far transcended the actress's own celebrity, to the point that the bag is now better known than its namesake (Givhan, 2004).

Exclusivity, Celebrity, and Demand

Birkin bags are seen on the arms of many celebrities around the world. They increased in popularity after being featured in a Sex and the City episode, which portrayed publicist Samantha Jones using the name of a famous client to obtain a bag — pretending the Birkin was for her client Lucy Liu, though Samantha intended to keep it for herself (Givhan, 2011). The fact that Samantha would lie, cheat, or steal to acquire the bag communicated to viewers that the Birkin was something deeply desirable and elite (Givhan, 2011).

The bags are deliberately sold in limited quantities. By keeping them exclusive, they become a badge of honor for fashionistas, rather than merely a place to store makeup and sunglasses.

References

Carter, Kelly. (2008). Can a Birkin bag get you special treatment? USA Today. Retrieved November 12, 2011.

Givhan, Robin. (2004). Martha's moneyed bag carries too much baggage. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2011.

Hermes Bags. (2011). Love to Know. Retrieved November 12, 2011.

Kroll, Betsy. (2007). In the bag. Time. Retrieved November 12, 2011.

The wait list is over. (2011). Glamour. Retrieved November 12, 2011.