Jane Birkin Dies at 76
Jane Birkin, singer, actress and namesake of Hermès famous handbag, died in Paris Sunday. She was 76 years old.
Following a stroke in September 2021, Birkin canceled her concerts scheduled for later that year. With ongoing health concerns, she canceled additional concerts in March 2022, and her return scheduled for May was also postponed. She was found at her home by a caregiver Sunday morning, AFP reported.
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The London-born Birkin rose to fame in the late ’60s after appearing in Jack Smight’s “Kaleidoscope,” opposite Warren Beatty, and Michelangelo Antonioni’s provocative film “Blow-Up,” in 1966.
Her then-scandalous duet “Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus” with French crooner Serge Gainsbourg further propelled her fame after it was banned by the BBC, and condemned by the Vatican for its sexual heavy breathing and moans.
She went on to appear in more than 60 films, including “La Piscine,” “The Pleasure Pit,” “Death on the Nile,” and Agnès’ Varda’s “One Hundred and One Nights.” She was nominated for three César Awards during her career, and directed her own film, “Boxes,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.
In 2004, Birkin was awarded the French Chevalier of the National Order of Merit. Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said her album “Arabesques” was a work of “cultural diplomacy,” which had a more political bent. She performed in both Israel and Palestine at the time.
The British Birkin had married James Bond composer John Barry at the age of 17. The two had a daughter, Kate, and separated three years later.
She met Gainsbourg on the set of a film and moved to France. The two had a daughter, Charlotte, who became a successful actress and filmmaker.
Charlotte Gainsbourg recently recounted their relationship in the film “Jane by Charlotte,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2021. The film started as a quest to document her mother’s life and history, and over the course of five years turned into a very personal look at their mother-daughter relationship.
Birkin became known for her personal style, which inspires fashion to this day. She played down her status as a style icon but embraced androgyny. “I’d rather be dressed as a man.…As soon as I’m in boys’ things I feel like I’m 12 again. I’ll go on tour in a white shirt and waistcoat,” she told WWD in 2009.
Her namesake “Birkin bag” was introduced in 1984, after a chance meeting with Hermès then-chief executive officer Jean-Louis Dumas on a flight from Paris to London, when she spoke about her struggle to find a bag that suited her needs as a young mother. Birkin, famous for carrying a wicker basket, spilled the contents of her carry-on and Dumas remarked she should have an Hermès bag, so he designed one that worked to her specifications, with space and pockets.
It became one of the most coveted bags in the world, and is known for wait lists that are nearly as exclusive as the bag itself.
They are popular with the Kardashian-Jenner sisters, who have all carried a version. Victoria Beckham is known to have at least 100 Birkins, while socialite Jamie Chua is believed to have the world’s largest collection with more than 200.
The bags range between $15,000 for the most standard version to over $100,000 for bags with exotic skins.
In 2014, an extremely rare Himalayan Nilo crocodile Birkin bag sold at auction for $185,000. A year later Birkin demanded Hermès remove her name from its Birkin Croco bag after learning of “cruel practices” showcased in a PETA video with the animals being skinned and sawed open alive.
Hermès said the farm in question had been an isolated irregularity and the company had come to an agreement with Birkin. It continued to use her name, and the bags continued to be successful.
Hermès opened a new factory is Saint Junien, France, in June to increase production of the ever-popular bags.
Birkin received five bags from Hermès and auctioned them off over the years for good causes, as well as worked with Hermès to donate directly to charities.
“I got Hermès to fork out for my charities once I saw the fortune they were making. A certain amount of money every year goes straight to my charity and it will continue to after my death. This year I was able to [use some of that money] to go to Japan for a benefit concert after the earthquake. We use some of the money to feed the poor people who can’t afford to eat in France. I sold one of my Birkin bags for $163,000 to help the Japanese Red Cross. So that rather trivial piece of heavy luggage has done a lot of good in the world,” she told WWD in 2011.
Hermès issued a statement to WWD on Sunday: “We are deeply saddened to have learned of the passing of Jane Birkin. Our thoughts are with her daughters, grandchildren, and her loved ones. We have lost a close friend and a longtime companion. With a shared sensitivity, we grew to know each other, we discovered and appreciated the extent to which Jane Birkin’s soft elegance revealed an artist in her own right, committed, open-minded, with a natural curiosity of the world and others. We salute Jane Birkin’s talent, and above all her great humanity as we join her family in mourning.”
Birkin is survived by daughters Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Doillon. Daughter Kate Barry passed away in 2013.
Launch Gallery: Jane Birkin Dies at 76: Images Through the Years
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