The "Birkin" bag is a handbag manufactured by leather goods and ready-to-wear manufacturer Hermès. It is named after British-born actress and singer Jane Birkin, a longtime resident of France.

Press accounts of the bag's genesis differ in details. Birkin told noted fashion writer Dana Thomas that while seated next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984 on a Paris to London flight, she opened her Hermès-made datebook and a flurry of loose notes fell to the floor. Dumas took her datebook and returned it a few weeks later with a pocket sewn into the back (which has since become standard). Birkin went on to discuss with Dumas her difficulty in finding a leather weekend bag and at his prompting, described her ideal. Shortly thereafter, the bag she described arrived at her flat with a note from Dumas.

A more piquant version of the story was repeated by film director Andrew Litvack. He put the year as 1981 and says that Birkin was called to Hermès to receive the first prototype. As she was leaving with the bag, they asked if she had forgotten something. Puzzled, she realized they wanted her to pay for it. Litvack claims Birkin was eventually reimbursed, and now receives a 10% discount on Hermès products.

Part of the price of all Hermès bags is the privilege to bring any authentic Hermès bag into any boutique to be sent to Paris for a "spa treatment". At a cost of several hundred dollars, any bag, no matter how old or abused, will be brought back to the best condition possible.
"Shooting Star" Birkins have a blind (colorless) stamp adjacent to the "Hermès, Paris Made in France" stamp. They are Birkins or other Hermes bags which craftsmen are permitted to make, a limit of one per year, for personal use or personal gifts. They are not meant for resale in any capacity whatsoever, not eligible for "spa" treatments, and any "Shooting Star" Birkin brought to the attention of Hermès is reported to result in serious attention to the craftsman whose stamp appears on the bag.
Birkin attributes her tendinitis to years of carrying the heavy bag and now tends to carry a small leather sporran.
HarperCollins has published a memoir (released April 22, 2008) called Bringing Home the Birkin . The book details the author Michael Tonello's adventures as an eBay entrepreneur who travels all over the world, going to Hermès stores to procure "same day" Birkins for wealthy and famous clients who don't want to wait for the iconic purse. 

A new website for Hermes Bag has been launched at www.hermes-bag.com, this site features news, video, photo, blog and a forum. So check it out now.