Who is Jane Birkin and how did she influence the fashion world?

 Who is Jane Birkin 
and how did she influence the fashion world?

            Singer, actress and fashion icon Jane Birkin has passed away at the age of 76. Jane, born in 1946 in London, started her career in France as an actress, playing minor roles. Later, in 1968 she met Serge Gainsbourg, while working in the same movie, Slogan, which was the start of both their personal and professional relationship. Birkin was also involved with  music, having released multiple solo albums. Lastly, she was highly involved with humanitarian acts and had visited multiple third world countries, such as Rwanda.

Keep smiling- it takes 10 years off - Jane Birkin

What was her relationship with the fashion world?

            In the fashion world, Jane has been characterized as a fashion icon. Having been the inspiration of many designers and stylists all over the world, like Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, she is still as influential as she was in the sixties. Her style could be described as tomboyish and relaxed, making her an idol of the New Bohemians. For Birkin simplicity was very important and she would often choose to style flared jeans with unfussy T-shirts (mostly white).

Which was her relation with the Birkin bag?

            In 1983, Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas was sitting next to Jane in a flight from Paris to London. The actress, carrying her straw basket, placed it in the overheard compartment of her seat, having the contents fall out to the floor. Jane later said to Dumas that it had been extremely difficult for her to find a leather bag that would fit everything she wanted during a weekend getaway, while also being stylish. After hearing her complaints, Dumas sketched the black version of the Birkin Bag. Over the years the bag has become a symbol of  the socioeconomic status of the person carrying it, with its prices ranging from 10.000 to 500.000 dollars. 

            In 2015 Birkin asked publicly from the Hermès fashion house to remove her name from the bag, due to the fact that the practices of creating the bag are unethical and that crocodile skin should not be used during the manufacturing process. 

My look is a cocktail. I'm not as nicely turned out as the French, but I don't care like the English- Jane Birkin

          Birkin, had various health problems in her lifetime. In 2002, she was diagnosed with Leukemia and had underwent treatment. Moreover, in 2021, she allegedly suffered a stroke, but had recovered. Finally, on 16 July 2023 had been found dead inside her apartment in Paris. The French Culture Ministry said the country had lost a ''timeless Francophone icon''.

It's impossible to be stylish without confidence- Jane Birkin