by Jorge Luis Borges, Jacobo Sureda
Created as a symbol of quiet power and enduring sophistication, the Birkin has long transcended fashion to become a global icon. In Noir… the purest black - its authority is absolute, softened only by the gentle grain of Togo leather. The gold hardware adds a warmth that elevates without overpowering, an alchemy Hermès has perfected across generations. The 30cm silhouette represents balance: large enough to command presence, refined enough for daily use. This C stamp example, preserved in excellent condition, carries with it not just craftsmanship but continuity - an example of timeless design, equally at home in heritage archives as it is in modern collections. For JOMO, this Birkin speaks to the essence of what we stand for: fewer, better, timeless. It is an heirloom for some, an investment for others, and for all, a reminder of why luxury, at its very best, is never fleeting.
Quite possibly the progenitor of the modern ‘It Bag’, the Kelly bag’s storied past is the stuff of sartorial legend, encompassing high glamour in a way that is hard to comprehend in the modern context. Such is the bag’s influence on 20th-century fashion that one cannot possibly delve into the period’s history without mentioning this Hermès icon.
As is the case with several other bag designs from the Hermès roster, the Kelly can trace its roots back to an earlier style dubbed the Petit Sac à Courroies, or ‘small belt bag’. Designed by Robert Dumas in the 1930s, it evoked the lines of a men’s briefcase and shared many design elements with the Haut à courroies, or ‘high belt bag’, which the French house produced to carry equestrian equipment.
During a period when daintier shapes primarily dominated handbag design, the Petit Sac à Courroies was an accessory revolution. Boasting pared-down lines that evoked a sharp sleekness, it was made all the more distinctive with its flap secured by two leather straps and a discreet turn-lock closure. Yet, it wouldn’t be until when the late actress Grace Kelly, who was involved in a highly publicised fairytale marriage to the Prince of Monaco, was photographed using the bag to hide her growing baby bump did it truly take off.
As for the Birkin, its story began during a fortuitous meeting between the actress and former Hermès CEO and artistic director Jean-Louis Dumas during a cross-Channel flight. Famed for carrying a wicker basket in place of a handbag, Birkin had attempted to stash it away in the cabin’s overhead compartment, when it tipped over and scattered her belongings on the ground.
Moving to help collect the strewn items, Dumas struck up a conversation with the actress and joked that she needed a bag with pockets. In response, Birkin said that if Hermès were to design a bag large enough to fit a busy mother’s essentials, she would buy it in a heartbeat.
Dumas got to work drafting a design right then and there, completing the first sketch of the bag on the back of an airplane sickness bag. And true to her promise, Birkin became the most faithful proponent for her namesake bag and was almost always seen carrying one around. Throughout her life, she reportedly only owned five Birkin bags and would only request a replacement when the one in her possession was irreparably worn down.