In 1984, a man observed Jane Birkin as she tried to fit all her possessions into a $10,000 Hermès bag. Scratches, wear, paint gone in many places, charms and pendants hanging from the handles, even a photo stuck to the front made this bag look truly abused.

And yet, it still held a charm, the charm of someone who has the ability to own such an expensive bag and at the same time “mistreat” it. The man suggested the actress use a larger, more practical bag, with her commenting: “What to do, Hermès doesn’t make bags with pockets».

What Jane Birkin didn’t know was that, coincidentally, she was sitting next to the then CEO of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas, who shortly afterwards revealed his status to her, with the phrase: “I am Hermès”.

The two began to talk and the result of this contact was a design created by the actress. It was a bag design, larger than a Kelly but much smaller than the Hermès suitcase, a functional middle ground. Thus, by chance, the Birkin was born, one of the most iconic bags in the history of fashion, characterized as roomy enough to carry everything you need, yet elegant and casual at the same time, so you never lose your style.

@sellierluxurybags A tribute to Jane, the original Birkin mum 🤍 #janebirkin #birkin #hermes #hermesbirkin ♬ yes to heaven slowed – whitelinesprettybabyy

She herself owned five such bags, using one at a time until it was completely destroyed. All five pieces were then resold at auction with all proceeds going to charity. The actress was often photographed holding her overstuffed Birkin bag under her arm.

A random moment that made history

And so, from a random and not elegant in the classical sense moment, a trend was accidentally created that was loved by many celebrities. The reason for this bag to come back into fashion was a Julia Fox video on TikTok, through which she revealed her worn Birkin bag. The Olsen twins, whose Kelly bags are famous for their worn-in look, a legacy they’ve kept from the era of indie sleaze and seemingly effortless cool, Marc Jacobs and Lindsay Lohan with their own stylishly damaged Birkin pieces and many more celebrities make up a long list of fans of this trend.

The return to the 2024 collections

Since then, Hermès is not the only brand to adopt the trend. A few samples from the 2024 season are enough to understand that the Birkin phenomenon is more relevant than ever. Among this year’s collections, both Balenciaga and Miu Miu presented models with messy bags, directly referencing the Birkin phenomenon. Demna proved that the actress’ quirky choice remains timeless, creating shoulder bags filled with charms, necklaces, chains, padlocks and keys. Miuccia Prada, on the other hand, went a little further, with bags that are ostensibly more elegant, but so full that they look heavy and hang open, leaving shoes, clothes and other items to stick out. Miu Miu followed suit, also adding various chunky accessories to their pieces.

So fashion seems to finally be copying real life. Because who doesn’t have a bag overflowing with stuff?