A rare Hermès Birkin once owned by the late Jane Birkin will go on sale this December as part of Sotheby’s inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week.
Titled Le Birkin Voyageur, the black box-leather handbag was gifted to the British-French singer and actress by Hermès in 2003 and will be auctioned live on 5 December at The St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, with an estimate of $240,000 – $440,000.
The auction follows Sotheby’s record-breaking July sale of Birkin’s original Hermès prototype, which achieved €8.6 million ($10.1 million) in Paris, the most valuable handbag ever sold at auction. The new offering marks only the second time in history that one of Birkin’s own bags has appeared on the market.
After selling her prototype in 1994 to raise funds for a French AIDS charity, Hermès presented Birkin with replacement bags over the years, four in total. Le Birkin Voyageur was her everyday companion between 2003 and 2007, visibly worn and inscribed with her personal messages. Inside, she had written phrases such as “My Birkin bag” and signed “Jane B,” adding small drawings and a poignant note: “Mon Birkin bag qui m’a accompagné dans le monde entier” (“My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion”). The inscription inspired the bag’s name, celebrating the artist’s famously unstudied style and sentimental attachment to her possessions.
Distinctive details include closed bridges, a design feature otherwise unseen in Hermès production, and a generous 40-centimetre width. The bag was last sold in 2007 to benefit the Human Rights Association and has since remained in private hands.
According to Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, presenting two of Birkin’s personal Hermès creations within one year is a historic moment for collectors. The sale represents an intimate link to the woman whose name has become synonymous with the world’s most recognisable handbag.
Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Week, presented in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, will run from 2 to 5 December. The event will showcase auctions and exhibitions across high jewellery, rare timepieces, fine art and luxury automobiles, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s growing role as a destination for global collectors.
