Scuffed-up Chic: How A Worn HERMÈS Birkin Bag Became the Ultimate Symbol of Snobbish Irony

The resale market has allowed more commoners to obtain these bags, but one’s image is now intricately linked to the bag’s condition.

A 33-year-old fashion enthusiast, Jenny Walton, said HERMÈS Birkin bags never go out of style. She believes a worn-out bag conveys a particular cool factor rather than merely flaunting one’s wealth. Jenny snidely remarked that reality TV stars and their ostentatious displays of pristine HERMÈS Birkin bags are pretty tacky.

A worn brown handbag filled with fruit and tree branches.
Carrying an HERMÈS handbag that looks beat up, like this Birkin bag with faded corners, can suggest it is not simply being worn as a marker of status.Resee

Celebrities like Candice Bergen, Julia Fox, Danielle Steel, and Mary-Kate Olsen have all dared to use HERMÈS bags with visible signs of wear and tear, making them seem more approachable and less focused on material possessions. It’s a subtle way of saying, “I’m so fabulously wealthy that I don’t even care if my $10,000 bag looks like a used-car salesman’s briefcase.”

The iconic Birkin bag, released in 1984, was conceived during a chat between actress Jane Birkin and Jean-Louis Dumas, the CEO of HERMÈS at the time. Jane needed a bag to carry around her children’s belongings, and Dumas obliged. Who knew that such a mundane conversation would lead to the creation of one of the world’s most sought-after status symbols?

As Mr. Marx eloquently said, “It’s just a bag. Who cares if it’s beaten up?”

Even the Haut à Courroies bag, originally designed for transporting saddles and riding boots, has found a new life among the fashion elite. A well-loved version of the bag, once owned by fashion editor André Leon Talley, recently sold for a whopping $32,000 at a Christie’s auction.

W. David Marx, a luxury culture expert, claims that luxury items must possess an air of nonchalance to function as status symbols. A beat-up HERMÈS bag suggests that the owner isn’t merely using it to flaunt their wealth but rather appreciates it as a functional item.

As Mr. Marx eloquently said, “It’s just a bag. Who cares if it’s beaten up?”

A brown handbag with visible scratches and smudges on its front.
The art director Ryan Reineck said that his Haut à Courroies bag’s imperfections give it character and “a history.”Ryan Reineck
A person, seen from the hips down, walking in a street and carrying a worn black handbag with keychains and other things hanging from it.
Jane Birkin carrying her namesake HERMÈS bag, personalized with keychains, in 2009.Francois Durand/Getty Images
After all, it’s pretty gauche to parade around with a new bag, desperately seeking validation.

If you’re fortunate enough to own a HERMÈS Kelly or Birkin, embrace the snobbery and irony of a well-worn bag. After all, it’s pretty gauche to parade around with a new bag, desperately seeking validation. Simply put, a scuffed-up HERMÈS bag epitomizes high fashion irony.

This article was adapted from nytimes.com.