The Hermès Birkin bag is one of the most prestigious bags in the world of fashion. Everyone craves to have the Hermes Birkin in their handbag collection.
Many of us have seen celebrities such as Kris Jenner and Kylie Jenner have closets dedicated to just their Hermès collection. When I first saw Kris Jenner’s Birkin Closet, I just knew that I needed the handbag. But then I saw the price and decided to put the dream of owning one in the back of my mind for a while. Hermes Birkin bags can go from $9,000 to $400,000+. Yes, you read it right, FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Along with the famed Birkin Bag, there are also other ones that people mistake for Birkin. For starters, the other most desirable bag from Hermès would be the Kelly bag (which ranges from $9,000 to $40,000). Many think the Kelly and Birkin are the same, and they are not. They have a similar shape but have different looks.
The Kelly bag has one shoulder strap, while the Birkin has two. I believe that the Kelly has a more elegant and sleeker look. In contrast, the Birkin has a more oversized and heavy-duty look. With the Kelly bag, you can carry it on the crease of your elbow or across your chess like a crossbody. The Birkin is only wearable on the crease of your elbow or hand.
The Kelly bag was initially called Sac à dépêches. The name was then changed when the American actress and princess Grace Kelly started to wear it and popularized the graceful bag. On the other hand, the Birkin was designed for the actress Jane Birkin. The Birkin quickly became a symbol of wealth and elitism. The bag’s cost depends on the type of leather or skins that are being used to produce the bag.
The Birkin bag became so much in demand that it began being rare to purchase. Many people have even been on lists for five years to buy and own this luxury handbag. Birkin’s were the rarest and most sought out bag in the fashion industry for an extended period.
This brings me to the point of this article. Recently, there has been talk about the bag and how its value will go down potentially. Yaya Mayweather, Floyd Mayweather’s daughter, spoke out about many celebrities and influencers suddenly purchasing these handbags on the regular.
Yaya Mayweather discusses how you can not just go into a Hermes store and buy a Birkin (which is true). Yaya even explains the difference between the Birkin and Kelly because celebrities and influencers were mixing the two up. This debate goes as far as her mother recording all her Birkin’s on Instagram live and explaining what her daughter means by the different posts she had made.
This post eventually led rapper Cardi B to weigh in. Cardi b posted a video on her Instagram explaining her side of this Birkin debate. She begins to explain how people (not celebrities or influencers) talk about female rappers (Mostly black women) depreciating the value of the Birkin bag. She later says that people on the outside never have to say these things about white celebrities and influencers who wear the Birkin bag. She discusses that when Hip Hop mentions brands like Hermès and Christian Louboutin, they go up in value and not down.
The points that Cardi B made in this video were facts. Hip Hop sets the trends and elevates them. I believe that if anything, The Hermès Birkin’s value is going up even more because of rappers like Saweetie and Cardi B.
Many people in the fashion industry do not want to see old traditions of being on a waiting list for years to get a bag or not being able to get a bag because of its rarity to go away. I understand that, but sometimes fashion must exile old traditions and elevate, and with hip hop, it always will. These rappers and influencers know people who know people who will allow them to get the bag they want as soon as they walk into a Hermès store.
The fashion world we live in today is doing anything thing to have the most “poppin'” celebrity out on the scene in their brands. So, of course, fashion houses like Hermès will give influencers and celebrities exclusive access to the most requested handbag of all time.
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