Mar 28, 2009

Hermes Birkin, Elegance is in the Bag

There are two bags in the world that are unlikely to change, the Birkin and the Kelly, which are proudly owned by the Hermes family. The legendary French luxury goods house established their business as a saddle maker in Paris as early as 1837. Named after the British fashion muse Jane Birkin, the Birkin bag is criticized as the handbag equivalent of a Rolls-Royce. Often compared to the Holy Grail of fashion, the Birkin ranks the most coveted bag around the world, and has the longest waiting list of 2 years. With 25 years’ experience in hand making Birkin bags, Hermes performs constantly in perfection of material, craftsmanship and quality. The bag represents the most exquisite handcraft in handbag making. Due to the very limited accessibility, only the celebrities of the highest status are privileged to get their hands on these bags. It is said that three elements made Birkin famous; they are quality, luxury and elegance.

Although the style icon Jane Birkin blueprinted the well-known design of Birkin bag, Hermes contributes tremendously in developing the great fame by their rich legacy. With a long history of harness workmanship, Hermes cultivated the world’s top grade craftsmanship in leather crafting. Today, the company expanded to sportswear, perfume, furnishing etc, however, leather goods, particularly Hermes handbags are the most competitive products. For customized bag of rare material or color, the waiting time can be extended to about 6 years. The influential designers the likes of Martin Margiela and Jean Paul Gaultier joined Hermes and brought new energy and splashy inspiration. Gaultier redesigned the regular look of Birkin bag into a shorter shape with longer handles. It is so called JPG Birkin, or shoulder Birkin. This redesigned version got a fresh appearance and practical utility which allured mass admirers. Many A-list celebrities became the loyal clients of Hermes, including Madonna, Martha Stewart, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman, Elle Macpherson, to name a few.

Years went by, the material and craftsmanship remains second to none. Only the finest materials are used. These materials include calf leather, ostrich, crocodile, and lizard skin. One of the most expensive Birkin bag is made of Porosus skin. Porosus is a rare saltwater crocodile with extremely beautiful veins. The quality and durability of the skin is the best of all, but it is also the most difficult skin to be processed and crafted. Bull skin is commonly used for it is buttery soft yet wearable. The Birkin is a customizable product which can be made according to your preference. You have a wide range for leather, color, hardware selection. The popular colors for Birkin bag are dark gold, black, rouge, jean blue and so forth.

In addition to finest material only, Hermes guarantees impeccable craftsmanship started in 1837. Artisans who are qualified for their jobs must have at least two years apprenticeship with senior craftsmen. When making one Birkin, one artisan is responsible to the whole making course from beginning to finish. Hermes never uses assembly line. Each step of handbag making is purely done by hand, thus making a Birkin is painstaking and time consuming. For a Birkin in often used togo leather, 18 hours will be spent.

Some say this is not a BAG, this is Birkin. The name Birkin is far beyond the function of a bag. It is a status symbol, synonymous with luxury, legacy and elegance. http://www.eurohandbag.com/ is a reliable supplier of Hermes Birkin bags which are the most collectable items and valuable lifetime investment.

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