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Collectors can fight to pay £7m for a Birkin – but the ‘it’ handbag is no longer cool | Lauren Cochrane
As prices have ratcheted up, the bag created for Jane Birkin has lost its bohemian edge and its fashion appeal, says senior Guardian fashion writer Lauren Cochrane
As was reported, two California residents sued Hermès for a practice known as “tying”, which means customers are expected to pre-spend a sufficient amount on other items, such as homewares or jewellery – some say up to $30,000 – before they are even put on the waiting list for a Birkin. The original bag shows Birkin’s approach to the design during the nine years she owned it – it’s lived-in: scuffed, with marks from the stickers that she regularly put on it, for organisations such as Unicef. Whether it’s a monster with spiky teeth or a battered bag with old stickers, fashion will always find a way to get people to spend a lot of money on obnoxious and coveted status symbols.
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