In the beginning, there was the HAC.
For the last decade or so, small bags have become a huge business for Hermès: around 2015, the 25cm Birkin went into general, regular production instead of being just a push offer (push offers cannot be ordered or requested – Hermès just randomly sends these very limited-production bags to various boutiques); then, around 2018 came the Mini Kelly II; this was followed by other Mini versions of beloved styles, including the Mini Lindy, the Mini Bolide, and just recently, the Mini Jypsiere. However, alarms went off on social media just last week when a brand new mini was spotted without any fanfare or advance notice: a real Mini Birkin.
Prior Versions of the Mini Birkin
The idea of a Mini Birkin is not new: in 2019, Hermès began producing the Birkin Faubourg as a push offer. The Faubourg, which measures 20cm and is produced in the Sellier structure, is genuinely a work of art, replete with windows and awnings reminiscent of the flagship boutique at 24 Faubourg St-Honoré. There was also a prior Mini Birkin iteration, which was produced in 2011-2012 and called the “Micro Birkin.” These measured 15cm, were made of Epsom or Swift leather in the “Candy” colors (including Celeste, Lime, Rose Tyrien, Orange, Kiwi, Mykonos, and Tosca, along with a few other colors) with Palladium hardware, and were push offer only.
I have remarked here that Hermès will likely produce a 20cm Birkin at some point and have also noted that since the pandemic Hermès has embarked on a remarkable expansion of its production capacity through the opening of workshops and training of additional craftspeople. However, no prior mention of an actual, regular production Mini Birkin has been made by anyone at Hermès corporate; prior to last week, there has been no official mention of it whatsoever.
The 20cm Mini Birkin – Are These the First Photos?
This silence was shattered by two apparently concomitant 20cm Birkin purchases: one, made of Vert d’Eau crocodile with Palladium Hardware, was purchased by a Chinese customer in Europe, and the second was made of Black Lizard with Gold Hardware and was purchased by the social media personality BryanBoy.
Details – and photos – have been hard to find. The Vert d’Eau bag, posted on the Red Book app by “E.MM,” is sparse on photos, with only two pictures, and even more sparse on details, even with Google Translate handy. Several other Red Book accounts discuss the photo and the buyer in detail and discuss questions about the veracity of the purchase. Still, they seem to substantiate this bag as authentic and purchased in Europe. Taking a look at all of the other amazing and rare bags on the owner’s Red Book account (a few Birkin Faubourgs, more than one Himalaya, a Colormatic, a Kellywood, several exotic special orders, a Cargo, a Sunrise, a Picnic…), it would not be a stretch to believe that this is a super-VIP account that would get a first-of-its-kind offer.
The fabulous BryanBoy is the purchaser of the Black Lizard 20cm Birkin and has been unusually shy about posting any information about it; the only substantiating info at the moment is a very brief video clip. (Here’s hoping we get an official reveal soon!)
Any search for further information yields minimal, if any, results. However, collectors and experts agree that this is likely a soft release for the time being that will be extremely limited in production and made only in exotic leathers. Sometime in the future, probably at least several seasons from now, production of the 20cm Birkin will be slowly increased, and the bag will become more widely available. However “widely available” will be understood to be in Hermès’ terms only and about as “widely” available as a Mini Kelly, at best.
As always, we will continue to update you on the new Mini Birkin on PurseBlog!
