Sotheby’s sold the first Birkin handbag—created by Hermès for the late actress and singer Jane Birkin in 1984—for €8.58 million ($10.1 million) in Paris on 10 July, setting a world record for a handbag at auction. Bidding opened at €1 million and lasted about ten minutes before a private Japanese buyer prevailed, according to the auction house. The hammer price was €7 million, with fees lifting the total to €8.58 million. The black leather prototype bears Birkin’s initials, features a non-removable shoulder strap and other details that differ from later commercial versions. Birkin kept the bag for nearly a decade before donating it to charity in 1994; it changed hands again in 2000 and had remained with a Paris collector until Thursday’s sale. The result eclipses the previous auction record of about $513,000 set in 2021 for a diamond-studded Hermès Kelly. Sotheby’s said the Birkin is now the second-most valuable fashion item ever sold, behind the ruby-red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” which fetched $32.5 million last year. The price underscores resilient demand for rare luxury collectibles, even as broader consumer spending on high-end goods shows signs of slowing.