Today we were asked to do whatever changes we had to do and get our final draft ready and printed
BIRKIN
When it comes to handbag hierarchy, the Hermès Birkin is the ultimate status symbol in the arm-candy stake. The bag has its own worth, which drives people insane for it; well we shall see it from its creations.
Created in 1984, the iconic bag boasts as its namesake muse Paris-based British actress Jane Birkin. Its existence was a happy accident, borne out of an exchange between Birkin and former Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas on an Air France flight from Paris to London in the early ’80s. Birkin, who had been upgraded, ended up sitting next to the executive; when the contents spilled out of her bag, Dumas suggested she needed one with pockets, and this sparked a conversation about her ideal accessory. The actress ended up doodling her specifications for “a handbag that is bigger than the Kelly but smaller than the Serge [Gainsbourg]’s suitcase” on a sick bag. Jane Birkin.” I.pinimg.com, Pinterest, i.pinimg.com/originals/7d/01/14/7d0114073ba5c38e307705bcea0494c7.jpg.
The rest is handbag history. A roomy, elegant-yet-sporty bag with handles, designed to be carried in the hand or wrist, with four studs on the base. The Birkin represented a new, modern statement from a fashion house known for its traditional, classical stance. Up until that point, the Kelly bag – ladylike, stiff and boxy by comparison – epitomized Hermès’ world. The only other Hermès bag to carry a celebrity moniker, their Sac à Dépêches, renamed in 1956 after Grace Kelly was snapped using it to shield her pregnant belly, having first been introduced to the item on the set of Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief.
The Birkin arguably played a major role in making Hermès the fashionable house it is today. “It opened Hermès up to new markets and customers, but it also changed the typical Hermès client,” says Jérôme Lalande, an antique dealer specializing in 20th-Century leather goods. “Hundreds and hundreds” of Kellys and Birkins have passed through his hands during his career, as both a long-time collaborator of Hermès, sourcing items for the house’s museums and the bag-and-luggage expert at second-hand luxury goods specialists Collector Square, an e-boutique with a showroom on Rue Bonaparte in Paris. A single artisan in one of the brand’s workshops craft’s all Birkin’s. It takes each artisan 48 hours of work to create a single bag. In addition, bare hands do not touch the bag until the client purchases it.
“Hermes Birkin .” Hearstapps.com, hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/gettyimages-74847953-1499284082.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*
One of the signature features on a Hermes Birkin bag is the lock and keys. The lock features the Hermes “H” logo and other unique engravings to make the bag special. The keys stay tucked away in a clochet or a leather lanyard. These are more than just a decoration. The lock is fully functional and adds an element of security to the bag. Users lock the bag by closing the top flaps through the loops and then securing the lock in place. Each lock has a number engraved on the bottom to indicate the batch number. Older bags have a single number while releases that are more recent, have two numbers engraved on the bottom. The lock matches the other metal hardware on the bag.
“Anatomy of a Birkin.” Pursebop, 2 Oct. 2017, i2.wp.com/www.pursebop.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/anatmy-birkin.jpg?resize=971%2C971&ssl=1.
Hermès is known for its quality materials, and their leather is no exception. A few of the most popular materials include box calf, alligator, Clemence, Epsom, Togo, and Ostrich leather. After Jane Birkin made headlines for protesting the treatment of animals in 2015, the company’s ethical standards for the sourcing of materials became more standardized. Birkin bags are found in a variety of colors, they are largely made from the leathers. Box calf is the oldest type of leather available, initially used for the Kelly bags. The smoothness of this leather means scratches are easy to see, unlike many other popular materials used.
Alligator material comes in either matte or lisse, which is shiny.
Epsom is also scratch resistant, but has much finer grains than Clemence and is known to be easy to clean.
Birkin Being Made.” Hearstapps.com, hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/gettyimages-476947418-1499284082.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*.
Togo, also scratch resistant, made from a calf and has a soft, pebbled finish. Ostrich is an iconic material, easily distinguishable due to the large pores.
Ostrich is an iconic material, easily distinguishable due to the large pores.
As a result, Hermès no longer takes special orders for the bag, and customers must wait for Birkins in the shades they desire to arrive in stores or if you are too keen to buy it then you can rent one for a week the e-commerce site VillageLuxe, which launched last year, lets you try before you buy. You can rent a birkin for $295 per week, and then either send it back, or pull the trigger.
A new study finds that purchasing a Birkin bag is a less risky investment than buying gold or entering the stock market. However, it is still a fascinating look at the Birkin’s constantly high demand in a world full of fickle shoppers.
Researchers compared the S&P 500, gold and Birkin bags to see how their value changed over the past 35 years. An average return that beats out both the S&P 500 index and the price of gold. The lowest rate it can be sold is$ 7,000/- i.e.4,55,000/- in Indian Rupee. Famous rapper Drake is collecting birkin’s for his future wife and it even acts as an investment of his money.
The birkin is a timeless design, a river of expensive materials, a flow of smart and amazing craftsmen, and sold by a loop of people who know what its worth.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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