In a remarkable follow-up to July’s record-breaking sale, Sotheby’s has announced the auction of another Hermès Birkin bag once owned by the late English-French singer and actress Jane Birkin, whose name gave rise to the now-legendary design. The bag—a black leather Birkin Voyageur bearing Birkin’s own handwritten inscription—will go under the hammer in Abu Dhabi on December 5, with an estimated value between $230,000 and $430,000 (€197,000–€370,000). The Birkin Voyageur, gifted to Birkin by Hermès in 2003, is one of four handbags she received after parting with the original 1994 prototype to benefit an AIDS charity. This particular piece carries a distinctly personal touch—Birkin’s own message written in French on the inside:“Mon Birkin bag qui m’a accompagné dans le monde entier” — “My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion.”
Jane Birkin’s Hermès ‘Birkin Voyageur’ to be auctioned in Abu Dhabi
The upcoming auction continues Birkin’s long-standing practice of using her Hermès handbags to raise funds for causes close to her heart. After years of use, she would often auction her personal Birkins to support humanitarian initiatives, with Hermès replacing them with new ones each time. The Birkin Voyageur was first sold in 2007 to benefit a human rights organisation, before entering a private collection. Now, it resurfaces once again, offering collectors the rare opportunity to own a handbag directly linked to both the woman and the myth. Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, called the moment “nothing short of historic.”“To present not one, but two of Jane Birkin’s personal Hermès bags in a single year is nothing short of historic,” Halimi said. This sale comes just months after the first-ever Birkin bag, created in 1984 and once owned by Birkin herself, sold in Paris for a record €8.6 million ($10.1 million / Dh36.7 million)—making it the most expensive handbag ever auctioned.
From chance encounter to cultural icon
The Birkin bag’s origin story is as serendipitous as it is celebrated. In 1984, Jane Birkin was on an Air France flight from Paris to London when her wicker basket overturned, scattering its contents—wallet, keys, business cards, diapers, glasses, and cigarettes, onto her seatmate, Jean-Louis Dumas, then CEO of Hermès. Birkin confessed she couldn’t find a stylish, spacious bag that suited her needs. Dumas, intrigued, grabbed an airsickness bag and began sketching a design that would blend elegance with utility. That impromptu drawing became the prototype for what the world now knows as the Birkin bag—a timeless symbol of sophistication and craftsmanship.
On display before the hammer falls
The Birkin Voyageur will be displayed in Abu Dhabi from December 2 to December 5, ahead of the auction. For collectors and admirers alike, the sale represents more than the pursuit of luxury—it’s a chance to own a piece of history, imbued with Birkin’s personal touch and her spirit of generosity.
