The Hermès Birkin bag is an undisputed fashion
icon. Its story is an endearing one, the bag being named after the
British actress and singer Jane Birkin, who in 1981 sat next to the
then Hermès CEO on a flight, and grumbled about her
inability to find the perfect weekend bag (life was hard in the
80s). Not long after, Birkin(the person) received the first
Birkin(the bag) at her apartment with a note from the CEO. Thirty
years on and the bag has become the most wanted in fashiondom
– allegedly unable to even be purchased by normal
folk.
But the romantic tale has taken a nasty turn. As a result of an
investigation by PETA into the treatment of crocodiles allegedly
used in the manufacture of the uber-expensive crocoversion of the
bag, Birkin has released a public request asking Hermès to
'debaptise' the bag and stop using her name until they
treat their crocs better. There's even a graphic video of the
abuse on YouTube.
