The Hermès Birkin prototype, originally made for Jane Birkin, sold at a Sotheby's auction in Paris for $10.1 million. What to know about the unique and coveted purse.

Now, the original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermès created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is in a new league of its own. Only one fashion item has sold at auction for more: a pair of ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz”, which sold for $32.5 million in 2024, Sotheby’s said.