Overview

• Sotheby’s Paris sale of the inaugural 1984 Birkin bag achieved €8.582 million including fees, setting a new auction record for the model.
• PETA has called on owner Catherine Benier to allocate a portion of the proceeds to wildlife conservation organizations after highlighting the suffering of animals used for exotic leather.
• The animal rights group says each Birkin requires leather from at least three crocodiles and cites undercover footage showing reptiles confined in cramped, unsanitary cages before being killed.
• Jane Birkin sketched the prototype herself on an airsickness bag during a 1984 Paris–London flight after meeting Hermès chairman Jean-Louis Dumas.
• The original bag’s seven unique design elements and its previous charity auctions in 1994 and 2000 underscore its evolving status as both a fashion icon and philanthropic object.