That bag goes on auction
Published: 27th Jun 2025
The original Hermès Birkin bag – more about capacity than style.
The original Hermès Birkin bag, which acted as the blueprint for what would become one of the most desirable celebrity status symbols in the world, will be auctioned by Sotherby’s in Paris on 10 July.
According to CNN, in 1984 actress and singer Jane Birkin was seated alongside then-Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight. She told him she wanted a bag “half the size of her suitcase”, and he asked her to sketch it, which she did – apparently on the paper sick bag in the pocket in front of her seat.
She told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in 2020 that, after the bag’s fame skyrocketed, she wondered whether it might – rather than her movies or hit song “Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus” – become what she was best remembered for. “Bless me, when I’m dead… (people) will possibly only talk about the bag,” she joked.
Footwear Industry Articles
- Tifosi Sports: Moving on after On
Randburg, Gauteng, SA – Tifosi Sports “will be looking to establish a relationship with a meaningful international sports brand” when Swiss running shoe brand On moves to a new distributor in January, CEO Nick Zografos said last week. “We’re in discussions with a number of them.”Tifosi Sports has repres ...moreMizuno: New distributor plans increase in marketing, and diversification of sports categoriesJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA – Digital Wellness has been appointed by Mizuno Europe as the new Mizuno Footwear distributor for Southern Africa.It was previously distributed by Performance Endurance Solutions.Brian Kerby will continue with the brand, filling the role of Mizuno Brand Manager. He and Digital Wellness MD Ricky West respond ...moreAsia tightens its grip on global footwear, but risks loomAmerican shoemaker New Balance has shipped its first export consignment from its manufacturing hub in Tamil Nadu, marking India’s growing role in global footwear supply chains. At the same time, Japanese giant ASICS is increasing local production in India from 30% to 40% to comply with the country’s new Bur ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- Keeping it in the familyBoksburg, Gauteng, SA – During 2022/23 my wife fell ill with Covid and we decided to get our daughter, Tania Ellis, involved in the business to enable me to spend more time with Alice. Alice eventually passed away 17th January 2024 after 55 years of married life and as we’re all getting older, I decided to keep Tania on, with ...moreAvian influenza leads to ostrich cull in CanadaAccording to multiple media reports, Canada’s food inspection agency is to cull – has probably culled, by the time this is published – close to 400 ostriches on Universal Ostrich Farms, near the town of Edgewood, British Columbia, following an outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza.The outbreak was first picked up in May, but ...morePangea: ‘Maintaining status quo in quiet market’Nigel, Gauteng, SA – The global market for automotive leather remains subdued, Pangea SA finance & administration director Adrian Visser said this month, and in South Africa’s case, that is further affected by concerns about US tariffs “which affect us indirectly through our customers”.“It’s a flat ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- SELECTING JOB TASK PPEThe issue of ‘Selecting Job Task Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)’ seems a simple undertaking, but at many levels, it is a fairly complex issue, because for each type of PPE there are usually various product variants available for the different risks and exposures related to specific job task work occurrences and events.To ...moreThe Competency Dilemma: Determining Competency for Construction Health and Safety and Designations Outlined in the Construction Regulations (2014)
IntroductionThere are substantial ambiguities and debates about the definition of a “Competent Person” when assigning legal appointments and responsibilities for supervision, oversight, and management of key tasks. These are outlined in the Construction Regulations (2014) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of (1993). Va ...moreFidelity acquires SSG Holdings to grow to nearly 70 000 staff over more than 250 locationsJohannesburg, Gauteng, SA (17 September 2025) – Fidelity Services Group has acquired a majority shareholding in SSG Holdings, following all requisite regulatory approvals. The acquisition will expand Fidelity’s footprint to more than 256 locations and grow its workforce to approximately 69 200 employees across Southern Africa. ...more
© S&V Publications
