Jane Birkin’s original Hermes bag sold for over RM42mil in an intense auction

This combination of pictures shows the Birkin bag by Hermes (left), which belonged to British-French actress and singer Jane Birkin at the Sotheby's auction house in Paris. Photo: AFP

Sketched out on an air sickness bag, the first Birkin handbag – the prototype for fashion's must-have accessory – sold for a staggering €8.6mil (approximately RM42.8mil), including fees, on Thursday (July 10) in Paris to become the second most valuable fashion item ever sold at auction.

The winning bid of €7mil (RM34.9mil) drew gasps and applause from the audience. The price crushed the previous auction record for a handbag – US$513,040 (RM2.2mil) paid in 2021 for a Hermes White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28.