The Birkin began on a flight between Paris and London in 1984, when Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas sat beside the actor and singer Jane Birkin. She complained that she could not find a leather bag big enough for her everyday things, and Dumas sketched a supple, roomy bag for her on the spot, promising to make it and name it after her. The first Birkin, in soft black leather, was made the same year. Its shape descends from the Haut à Courroies, the tall bag Hermès made around the turn of the twentieth century for riders to carry a saddle and boots.
Each Birkin is still made in France, in Hermès workshops around the country, by one craftsman from start to finish. It uses the saddle stitch the house developed in its harness-making days, and takes roughly 15 to 20 hours of work. The bag is lined in goatskin matched to the outer leather and closes with straps, a turn-lock and a small padlock. Originally offered in one supple black leather, it is now made in several sizes and in many leathers and colours, and is sold only in Hermès stores.
Alongside the Kelly and the silk carré, the Birkin is one of the house's defining products.