Handbag sells for £7.4m at auction

A handbag has sold for €8.6m (£7.4m) - becoming the astir invaluable ever sold astatine auction.

The orginal Hermes Birkin, which had belonged to and was named aft British histrion and vocalist Jane Birkin, went nether the hammer astatine Sotheby's successful Paris connected Thursday.

It is besides present the 2nd astir costly manner point ever sold.

The container was designed for Birkin, who starred successful a fig of French and British films from the 1960s onwards earlier her decease successful 2023.

She happened to beryllium seated adjacent to Jean-Louis Dumas, past creator manager of Hermes, connected an Air France formation successful 1981.

Carrying each her items successful a wicker basket, she complained to Dumas that the handbags disposable astatine the clip tended to beryllium excessively tiny to acceptable each of her belongings.

The brace began sketching designs connected the backmost of a sick bag, and by 1985, Hermes had produced a prototype and presented it to Birkin, requesting her support to sanction the caller benignant successful her honour.

It has since go a presumption symbol, worn by celebrities including Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Khloe Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez.

Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's planetary caput of handbags and fashion, said: "The spectacular merchantability of the archetypal Hermes Birkin contiguous astatine Sotheby's Paris marks an important milestone successful the past of manner and the luxury manufacture much widely.

"It is simply a startling objection of the powerfulness of a fable and its capableness to ignite the passionateness and tendency of collectors seeking exceptional items with unsocial provenance, to ain its origin."

The erstwhile satellite grounds for a handbag was the Hermes achromatic Himalaya niloticus crocodile diamond retourne Kelly 28, which sold successful 2021 for $513,040 (£380,000).

The astir costly manner point ever sold was the brace of ruby reddish slippers worn by Judy Garland successful the movie The Wizard of Oz, which fetched $32.5m (£24m) successful 2024.