THE MIGHTY, MIGHTY BIRKIN

How the Hermès carryall withstood trends and weathered seasons to become an indelible part of the culture.

- LEAH CHERNIKOFF

Suzanne Koller, the influential Paris-based stylist, waited two years to get it. The current fashion director of M Le Magazine du Monde, who has also served as Fashion Director of Vogue Paris and co-founded the biannual cult magazine Self Service, surely has access to designer bags as soon as they exit the runway. But for an Hermès Birkin bag, she waited.

“I always wanted one,” Koller says. But it wasn’t until her late 20s that she “finally felt grown-up enough” for a Birkin, which can cost upwards of ₹10,00,000. “I had never bought anything that expensive before,” she explains, admitting that she was nervous about the price but figured she could save for it while waiting the two years it would take to fulfill her custom order: dark navy leather with gold hardware.

That was around two decades ago. “For me, the Birkin bag was the ultimate luxury item, and I knew I would never get bored of it,” Koller says. “I convinced myself that I really needed one and thought I would eventually pass it on to my daughter.”