The Birkin Unicorn: A One-of-a-Kind Hermès Masterpiece Prepares for Auction—Who Will Bid It Home?

The Hermès Birkin is one of the most, if not the most, iconic and highly sought-after bags in handbag history. Even if you’re not a fan of Hermès and its game, it’s hard to argue otherwise. While Hermès makes a vast selection of bags, one of its most widely recognized remains the Birkin.

The Birkin’s creation goes a little something like this: the late Jane Birkin (actress, model, singer, fashion icon, and the list goes on) was seated beside Hermès’s then-CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a plane when the pair got to talking.

Ms. Birkin reportedly complained to Dumas about her belongings falling out of her bag because her husband had run over the woven basket she usually carried. Call it fate because the now-famous Birkin was sketched right then and there on an airplane sickness bag, and the rest, as they say, is fashion history.

You Can Own a Piece of Fashion History…

Now, two years after Jane Birkin’s passing, the original prototype, crafted just for her in 1984, a year after the chance meeting, can be yours—for a pretty penny.

The original bag was donated in 1994 to benefit Association Solidarité Sida, a French charity supporting AIDS research and prevention.

It was then purchased by Parisian collector and vintage store owner Catherine Benier in 2000. Now, the bag is up for grabs once again, and before it goes up for auction, you can view it at Sotheby’s in New York now through June 12th.

Prototype aside, the bag itself is a rarity for several other reasons. While it is as wide as a B35, it is as tall as a B40, and most notably, it has a crossbody strap. It is also stamped with its namesake’s initials—on the front flap, you’ll find a tiny embossed “J.B.”

Are you looking to add this one-of-a-kind rarity to your collection? It will headline Sotheby’s Paris Fashion Icons sale on July 10th.