In 1981, Jane Birkin, the British actress found herself in the company of Jean-Louis Dumas, then Hermès CEO who inherited the company from his great grandfather. Birkin was struggling to fit her belongings in a straw purse when everything fell out. Little did she know that her rant session with this stranger would inspire a generation of compartmentalized bags, more coveted and more difficult to find than probably God himself.

Every Birkin bag is made by one artisan from start to finish and can take an upward of 18 hours each to make. The animal who’s hide Hermès uses to make these iconic bags has probably had a lifestyle better than that of the middle class population of India. Even then Hermès only ends up using about 10 percent of the hide that is made available to them. Every artisan has to go through 3-4 years of rigorous training before they’re allowed to even touch the hide.

Getting to see a Birkin at a flagship store takes a special kind of sucking up to the sales associates. They have to deem you worthy enough to show you even a glimpse of the bag. Then too the possibility of getting to see a bag in a store is rare. The waiting list was closed off two years ago due to a very high demand and the stores have absolutely no way of knowing when a Birkin would arrive at their doorstep. Even if it does, it is highly likely to be sold off on the exact same day. It is against Hèrmes’s policy to locate a Birkin at another store or outlet.

Hèrmes has developed an entirely successful marketing strategy which ensures that every single piece ever made is sold, no matter what price. Customers are made to believe that a Birkin is the ultimate handbag to have and one would be lucky to possess it, if such a miracle were to ever happen of course.