The world suffered a huge loss yesterday with the death of British-French actress, singer, model, advocate and fashion icon Jane Birkin, OBE, yesterday at the age of 76. Birkin, known (of course!) as the inspiration for the beloved Hermès Birkin – itself the most iconic and desired handbag anywhere in the world – leaves behind a cultural legacy, a music career, a film career, a history of advocacy for women’s and LGBT rights, and three daughters (one who preceded her in death).

Jane Birkin with Hermès Birkins. Images via The Telegraph.

A Journey from London to Paris and a Lifelong Affair with Art and Love

Born in London in 1946, Birkin met composer John Barry in 1963 at age 17, and they married in 1965, around the same time she began appearing in films in small roles. She then appeared in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blowup and Kaleidoscope (both in 1966). They had a daughter, Kate Barry, in 1967 (who passed away in 2013). Barry left for the United States in 1968, and they divorced.

Birkin’s minor role in Blowup gained notoriety due to her nude scene. Her 1968  appearance as the lead in the French film Slogan had her co-starting with Serge Gainsbourg, who became her artistic collaborator – working on numerous music and film productions together – and her romantic partner until 1980. Their 1969 song “Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus“, which was sexually explicit and banned by radio stations in the UK, Spain and Italy, became the biggest-selling foreign language single in the UK. They had a daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, in 1971, and separated in 1980. She later had a long relationship with director Jacques Doillon, giving birth to daughter Lou Doillon in 1982. Birkin continued to appear in films and record music throughout her life; she remained in France from the late 1960s and and eventually became a French citizen.

Birkin’s most notable honors include being awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2001; she was also appointed a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2013, rising to the highest rank of Commendeur in 2022.

Jane Birkin’s Fateful Flight and the Birth of a Luxury Legend

Birkin is also known for the iconic legacy of a fateful 1983 flight when she was seated next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas; her beloved straw basket proved unfit for her travel and she and Dumas famously spent the remainder of their flight discussing the design for a more suitable option, sketched on the back of a paper bag, which was an adaptation of the Haut à Courroies.

Their collaboration, which Dumas named the Birkin after her, has been commemorated in countless ways, most recently as depicted in Jan Bajtlik’s design L’Epopee d’Hermès. Birkin generally only had one of these bags at a time, and always in black; she often covered them with stickers, trinkets and charms, and when one became very worn, Hermès would replace it with a new one; often she would auction her used bags for charity.

Birkin's collaboration with CEO Dumas Epopeewas memorialized in Jan Bajtlik's design "Epode d'Hermès, which encompasses the history of Hermès.

Birkin’s meeting and collaboration with CEO Dumas was memorialized in Jan Bajtlik’s 2021 design L’Epopee d’Hermès, which depicts the history of Hermès.

Image via Vogue

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Terri
Terri
2 months ago

RIP. A true icon.

charlottawill
charlottawill
2 months ago

Thank you for this. I vaguely recall as a young child reading about the scandalous nude scene in Blowup (the Daily News was always around the house), but I really knew nothing about her other than the bag being named for her. She seems like a charming woman in the video.

Fabuleux
Fabuleux
2 months ago

The post is inaccurate: Jane had three daughters (Kate, Charlotte, and Lou).

Megs Mahoney Dusil
Admin
2 months ago
Reply to  Fabuleux

Yes, I made the edit to three daughters. I believe it read two daughters at the time of her passing, but she had three daughters, one who preceded her in death.

Nini
Nini
2 months ago
Reply to  Fabuleux

One of them passed away before her mother, unfortunately.

Blythe
Blythe
2 months ago
Reply to  Fabuleux

Re-read the article. It mentions her three daughters  Charlotte GainsbourgKate Barry, and Lou Doillon.

Fabuleux
Fabuleux
2 months ago
Reply to  Blythe

It’s been edited, darling.

Fabuleux
Fabuleux
2 months ago
Reply to  Notorious Pink

The first paragraph said “two daughters,” darling. Then it was edited to “three.” Proofread before publishing and all will be well. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Your lack of attention is not your readers’ fault. Take the note and move on.

Anna
Anna
2 months ago
Reply to  Fabuleux

What’s up? You’re making this all about you. A legend lost her life and left behind her grieving family & friends. Why not focus on the person she was, and the contribution she made, vs. being a right fighter?

Laura W
Laura W
2 months ago
Reply to  Fabuleux

You might like to consider scrubbing up on your manners and delivery. The passive aggressive “Darling” is not very becoming

More
More
2 months ago
Reply to  Fabuleux

Fabuleux, you should read the sentence properly… She doesn’t leave behind three daughters since one passed away before she did, “darling”.

Apoorv Gupta
Apoorv Gupta
2 months ago

This tribute to the iconic Jane Birkin is a touching and fitting commemoration of a remarkable life that spanned art, activism, and fashion. It beautifully captures the essence of a woman who left an indelible mark on the world and touched the hearts of many.

Anna
Anna
2 months ago
Reply to  Apoorv Gupta

Well said and an accurate depiction of who she was!

ThatGuyMcFlizzy
ThatGuyMcFlizzy
2 months ago

This is truly a great loss. RIP, you were a superstar and an icon.

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