Why a Birkin in the hands of Yahya Sinwar's wife made headlines all over the world

Birkin, the world's most coveted bag, has found itself at the centre of the Israel-Hamas war after apparently being spotted in the hands of the wife of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar.

Hermès Birkin, one of the luxury world’s most gate-kept offerings, is in the news again. But this time, it’s not due to frustrated shoppers filing lawsuits over how hard it is to buy, nor is it about yet another rare addition to Kim Kardashian’s ever-expanding collection. Instead, the world’s most coveted bag has found itself at the centre of the Israel-Hamas war after apparently being spotted in the hands of the wife of slain Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar.

The Israeli army recently released footage featuring Yahya Sinwar and his family from the night before the Gaza-based terror group launched its deadly attack on Israel on October 7 last year. The video shows Sinwar walking in an underground tunnel with his wife and children. Sinwar’s wife’s bag, meanwhile, caught a lot of attention after Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a tweet that she was carrying a Birkin worth USD 32,000 (almost Rs 27 lakh).

"While Gaza residents have no money for food, we see many examples of Yahya Sinwar and his wife's special love for money," Adraee tweeted in Arabic, along with a picture of Sinwar’s wife holding what appeared to be the Birkin bag.

What's the big deal?

What’s the big deal, one might wonder—it’s just a bag, right? Wrong. Anyone familiar with the world of luxury knows that a Birkin is far from just a bag. You may have all the money in the world, yet you might not be able to get yourself a Birkin. You definitely cannot walk into an Hermès boutique and leave with a bag (forget a Birkin) of your choice.

It is a long, infamous (but unwritten) procedure that goes beyond the high demand and controlled supply. In the past, there were waiting lists, but those are a thing of the past now. Even if the bag is in stock and you have all the money in the world, it could still be out of reach. Think of it as the Rolls-Royce of the luxury bags world.

Buying a Birkin first requires you to climb the status ladder and build a relationship with the brand before you even get the chance to buy one. This relationship-building often means owning other Hermès products before you’re eligible to purchase the coveted bag, with an equivalent amount needing to be spent on items other than bags.

Additionally, luxury fashion insiders say, your relationship with your Hermès sales associate (SA) plays a significant role in determining your eligibility to own a Birkin. It’s not the world’s most coveted bag for no reason. Of course, the meticulous craftsmanship and its iconic history are also key factors.

As a brand, Hermès dates back to 1837. The French luxury fashion house known for its leather goods and lifestyle accessories has essentially been family-controlled.

"It is not a bag. It is a Birkin."

The Birkin bag came to life in 1984 after Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas heard late actress and singer Jane Birkin lamenting her difficulty finding a practical leather bag during their flight from Paris to London. The incident occurred when the contents of her straw basket fell on the floor. The conversation led Dumas to create a black, supple leather bag for her, which later became known as the Birkin bag—a spacious creation that looked elegant but could also fit everything she needed.

Over the years, the Birkin became the ultimate symbol of wealth and exclusivity. It did not gain immediate popularity or win the ‘hardest to buy’ bag status right away. In fact, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the Birkin became the ‘It Bag’.

Its popularity soared at the turn of the century when an episode of Sex and the City featured Samantha’s quest to get her hands on a Birkin, including being placed on a five-year waitlist. That’s when the iconic line, “It’s not a bag. It’s a Birkin,” was born, adding to the craze for the bag and making it one of the most sought-after luxury items in the world. Currently, the prices range from Rs 8 lakh to almost Rs 4 crore.

In India, proud Birkin owners include Nita Ambani, who owns some of the most expensive and rare variants like the Himalaya Birkin and the Neige Snow Faubourg Birkin.

A Birkin bag takes expert artisans a minimum of 18 hours to create and is marked with a code that identifies its year of creation, the workshop it was crafted in, and the artisan who made it. These bags are made using only high-quality materials, including leather and exotic skin such as crocodile, ostrich, and alligator.

Leather critics like YouTuber Volkan Yilmaz (better known as Tanner Leatherstein), who deconstructs luxury bags to judge their quality, also praise Hermès products. Yilmaz has criticised brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada for their questionable quality, but he holds Hermès in high regard.

“I’m a big fan of Hermès because they still preserve a good respect for the natural leather they find and curate these beautiful, balanced leathers that are natural enough yet still protected for fashion application. I think their leather taste is very good for most leathers. And they still utilise time-honoured techniques like saddle stitching and handcrafting practices, which is unheard of in any of the other luxury brands,” Yilmaz told India Today in an exclusive interview earlier this year.

For those who cannot buy a Birkin directly from Hermès, there’s always the resale market. Trusted resellers and second-hand purchases are common, as the market for Birkins is huge. Many see it as a financial investment, with several reports suggesting that a Birkin can offer better returns than gold.

How a Birkin ended up in the hands of the wife of a Hamas chief, despite the hard-to-attain and opaque processes involved in acquiring one, may remain a mystery - much like how we’ll never know how many Birkins Hermès produces each year.