Birkin Legacy
Jane Mallory Birkin, the English-French beauty Hermes named a bag after, is a fashion icon.
Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg on her birthday. Courtesy of Getty Images via Vogue. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Jane Mallory Birkin was born in 1946 in Marylebone, London, and was raised as a London native throughout her childhood. Birkin didn’t know it then, but she would go on to have an exhilarating career as an actress, singer, and be a foundational focal point in French fashion. She starred in multiple films in her twenties, including Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blowup and Kaleidoscope, both in 1966. In only a few short years, she would meet Serge Gainsbourg while co-starring in Slogan, spawning a decades-long relationship with each other professionally and personally. In 1976, she starred in Je t’aime moi non plus under Gainsbourg's direction. Over the years, she became a marvelous sensation in France. She appeared in a few English language films, including Agatha Christie adaptations Death on the Nile (1978) and Evil Under the Sun (1982).
Decades later, she would be known for her appearances in French cinema and set off a term called the ‘Jane Birkifying Effect.’ Now coined by the editorial and fashion community, this phrase stems from Birkin's accessory and style prowess. The term is tethered to Birkin because she added her essence to her bags. Birkin did not treat her Hermès bags as precious items only meant for special occasions or give them the appearance of still being in their box. She understood that a bag is intended to be used, not to live on the shelf. With this in mind, multiple photographs of Birkin display her in the streets of Paris with her bag overflowing and giving an up-close look at the appearance of wear and tear. This is not to say that Birkin did not value her belongings; she simply used them as they were designed to be, not as art pieces but as bags.
The relationship between Birkin and the Hermès brand began on an airplane in the 1980s. While removing her bag from the overhead compartment, it tumbled out, and she met the Hermès executive, Jean-Louis Dumas. In their conversation, she told him, “Why don’t you make a bag that’s four times the Kelly that you can leave open? Because girls like to have things on the end of their arm to put all their stuff in,” Birkin said this to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2020, according to WWD. The bag, also designed by Birkin, was released in 1984 by Hermès and would become a status symbol globally. While Hermès began to produce limited quantities of the ‘Birkin Bag,’ Ms. Birkin's original bag had handmade custom designs that made the accessory one of a kind.
Available via IG @nssmagazine © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended
With the passing of this fashion icon on the 16th of July, 2023, comes the resurgence of what Birkin inspired and how she left her mark on the fashion industry. The lesson that can be learned from her is that expressing individuality is essential. While it may make you different, only one version of you exists. There is no point in being afraid of what others may say about how you style your clothes, accessories, or person. The first time anyone did anything new in the fashion world, they were met with questions. She knew how to be chic and embody an effortless put-togetherness that only added to her character. Whether dazzling on the silver screen or showcasing her street style, she consistently understood the power of fashion.
