Jane Birkin, who passed away at the age of 76, leaves behind a multifaceted legacy encompassing her music, acting, and, most notably, her influence on fashion. While her collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg and her captivating vocals on the hit song “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” are significant achievements, it is her impact on the world of fashion that may endure the longest.
Born in London but finding fame in France, her adopted home, Birkin has long been regarded as a style icon. Much of this acclaim can be attributed to the iconic Hermès bag that bears her name. The creation of this timeless design was the result of a serendipitous encounter between Birkin and the then-chairman of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas, during a flight to London in the 1980s.
According to reports, Birkin had struggled to find a leather handbag she liked and was often seen carrying a wicker basket as a substitute. However, one day, Gainsbourg accidentally damaged her basket with his car. On the eve of meeting Dumas, Birkin sketched her vision for a spacious handbag on an airplane sickness bag. Hermès, which expressed its grief over the loss of “a close friend and longtime companion” in a statement, embraced her idea, resulting in the creation of the coveted Birkin bag, now sold for exorbitant prices ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2020, Birkin acknowledged that, after her passing, people might primarily remember her for “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus,” her breakout film, and the iconic bag. However, such a narrow focus would overlook the preceding decades of the ’60s and ’70s when Birkin’s tousled bangs, basket bags, and crochet pieces epitomized her effortless “French girl style.”
Whether it was her preference for high-waisted flares, minidresses, or the infamous white gown she daringly wore backward (plunging so deeply that it required a brooch to secure it) to the Gala de l’Union des Artistes in 1969, fans continued to emulate her unconventional fashion choices.
Throughout the years, esteemed designers such as Paco Rabanne and Martin Margiela sought Birkin’s modeling and collaborative expertise. Even as recently as 2016, she graced a campaign for Saint Laurent, maintaining her understatedly glamorous presence on red carpets and stages worldwide well into her later years.
