Jane Birkin and the Hermes Birkin Bag

The Hermes Birkin bag is infamous. Spotted on famous celebs such as Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Nicole Richie, Victoria Beckham and other style icons, it is the ultimate must have fashion piece. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and elusiveness to the public. However, many don't know the story of the "The Birkin." 

The bag is named after British actress and singer Jane Birkin. She is best known for her relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg in the 1970s. If you don't know who he is I highly recommend watching the movie Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life. Jane used to use a basket to carry her belongings around and in 1981 Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas was seated next to 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 the contents. 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 an 1892 design.