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Not the Diamond Himalaya—This Is the Birkin Everyone’s Talking About
Think the most expensive Birkin ever sold was the Diamond Himalaya? Think again. On July 10, 2025, at Sotheby’s Paris, the original Birkin bag once owned and used by Jane Birkin herself just sold for a jaw-dropping €8.58 million (about $9.3 million USD). Yes, the very bag that started it all.
The Birth of the Birkin: A Legend Sketched at 30,000 Feet
Flashback to 1984. Jane Birkin, frustrated with her bulky straw basket, was seated next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight. She complained. He listened. She sketched her dream bag on an airplane sickness bag (seriously). And just like that, the Birkin was born.
"He said he’d make me a bag, so I drew it for him—I think on a vomit bag," Jane recalled in a Vogue interview.
That doodle became one of fashion’s most iconic designs: double top handles, flap closure, lock-and-key detail, and a sturdy, practical base. Jane carried hers everywhere for over a decade, wearing it into a soft, lived-in leather that mirrored her effortlessly chic personality.
Why This Birkin Just Fetched $9.3 Million at Auction
Because it’s not just any Birkin. This is the Birkin. Jane’s personal OG prototype, somewhere between 35cm and 40cm—a rare hybrid size never produced for the public.
Even more compelling? Its lived-in details: the “J.B.” initials engraved on the flap, worn leather, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders stickers, and even Jane’s personal silver nail clipper dangling from the handle.
This bag is more than a luxury item. It’s a time capsule. A symbol of a woman’s real life. As Sotheby’s put it, this Birkin is “a living object.”
Donated by Jane in 1994 to a French AIDS charity auction, the bag had been in the private collection of Catherine Bénier ever since. Until now.
Meet the Man Behind the $9.3 Million Birkin Bid
Nine bidders battled it out starting at €1 million. The winner? Shinsuke Sakimoto, a Japanese entrepreneur who placed his winning bid over the phone. So who is he?
- Former pro soccer player
- Founder of Valuence Holdings, a massive secondhand luxury empire
- The younger brother behind Japan’s cult-favorite Sakimoto Shokupan (fancy milk bread)
Now? He’s the proud owner of the most historic Birkin in existence.
And he’s not flipping it for profit. Sakimoto called it a cultural asset and said he intends to preserve it as a tribute to Jane Birkin and the feminine spirit she embodied.
The Birkin Is More Than a Bag—It’s a Cultural Icon
People have long said Birkins are a better investment than real estate. They’re notoriously hard to get, and often appreciate in value more than gold. But this auction was about more than status or scarcity.
Jane Birkin never used the bag to flex. She wore it like a part of her life. Scratched up, stickered, and personal. Her Birkin was romantic, rebellious, real.
And that’s why this bag—used, scuffed, human—just broke every record. Because it wasn’t just crafted. It was lived.
From a plane sketch to a record-breaking auction, Jane Birkin’s original bag reminds us: she didn’t just inspire a design. She created a legacy you could carry on your arm.
Now that’s iconic.
