Makin' a Birkin
Posted on 26. May, 2009 by sheila in design
While I’m aware of the fact that $10,000 for a purse is insane especially in relation to my bank account, I wouldn’t even hesitate for a millisecond if an Hermes Birkin bag was handed over to me for free. We can all go on about conspicuous consumption and how they should be ashamed when the economy is suffering, but I can appreciate anything that requires attention to detail. This video shows how much work and time it takes to make just one bag. Each Birkin is made entirely by hand with one craftsman assigned to a bag from start to finish. The materials are so special that they won’t even accept an alligator skin with a mosquito bite! It lessens the sticker shock a little and you think, “Oh, I get it.” Still, it’s very much a status symbol and giving one to your middle-school child and using it as a book bag to impress all her friends is a little disturbing. But that’s a whole other issue.
Photos on flickr
