top of page
Search

Birkinification of Bags

REVIEWING THE TIMELESS TREND OF TIME ITSELF


Whether Jane Birkin was modeling, acting, or even singing, she was no doubt an icon. For her significant others Serge Gainsbourg and Hermes Director, Jean Louis Dumas, she was a muse.


Forty years ago, Jane Birkin’s infamous conversation with Jean Louis Dumas took place on an Air France flight, Birkin complained about the lack of capacity in regular handbags and how she turned to a large wicker basket. In fact, “the wicker basket and its contents had accidentally fallen on Dumas, who was sitting next to her on the plane."



In 1984, the unique bag came out and was named after the idol. While sales were initially small for the Birkin, it wasn’t until the 90's that this accessory became the most famous bag of all time. This timeless accessory is featured in fashion media consistently. In Sex and The City, Carrie simply stated about the status symbol, “It’s not a bag, it’s a Birkin."



A year after Jane Birkin had passed, in 2024, the runways saw minimalist bags that were overstuffed and woven baskets. Schiaparelli SS24 and Balenciaga took it one step further.




As seen above, Balenciaga utilized charms and loud luxury with their trinket. Similarly, Schiaparelli echoed that same note of loud luxury with the usage of gold chains, a gold wristwatch, and Schiaparelli patch on a white tote.


The runways gave Schiaparelli and Balenciaga the opportunity to show off the brand itself, whether through the patch or trinket. It seems as though celebrities, influencers, and people are using “Birkinification” to show off their personalities. Vogue published a video in December where Dua Lipa shows what’s in her purse. The last forty seconds is dedicated to her bag charms. She begins to explain that two are collected from India and Japan. The final charm is from a birthday. She is then asked what is said about her life through her bag, she says “chaotic.”




From tutorials to people’s decoration decisions, the Birkinification trend has remained somewhat popular. With the highest being one hundred searches a week occurring from June 12th- June 19th 2024. I believe it’s crucial to note that this was exactly a month before the one year anniversary of her passing. With the majority of searches coming from Gen Z.



In addition, the graph above shows the integration of the vintage bags and Birkin search in 2024. As identified, the two have some association. This is to be expected as the original Birkin would be considered vintage now. In addition, shopping vintage is more sustainable, something of great importance to Gen Z.


The 2025 runway saw a variety of bag textures from suede to snake print. Bags were not Birkinified. Although, for Artizia’s 40th birthday, they’re selling nostalgic birthday bag charms, available at select locations. Holt Renfrew is also selling luxury accessories!



I believe the true way to Birkinify a bag is to use it through the years and not succumb to what’s currently trending. Using a bag and accessorizing it with age can be a beautiful thing. It shows experience and what a beautiful thing it is to simply experience.



BY EMILY GLASS

Imagery by Rebecca Doyle



Sources:






 
 
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
bottom of page