How Hermès Commodified Jane Birkin as the Birkin Bag | The Life of Jane Birkin

Amy interviews Marisa Meltzer, author of It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin, about how Birkin became one of the most famous fashion icons of the sixties. Marisa talks about how she became the inspiration and namesake for the Hermès Birkin bag, and whether or not she was ever paid for this distinction. She also reveals how Birkin really felt about the Birkin bag becoming more famous than her, and much more. 2:52 - Jane Birkin's early life and upbringing, including how she met her husband John Barry when she was 17; and how she ended up moving from London to Paris and meeting Serge Gainsbourg 6:55 - Birkin's significance as an icon of Swinging 1960s London 8:28 - Birkin was an It girl in the pre-tech age. Can you reverse-engineer being an It girl today? Or does the algorithm sap people of the required level of mystery? 12:09 - How romantic relationships make It girls like Birkin and Gwyneth Paltrow. 14:14 - The Birkin bag origin story. 18:57 - Was Hermès unfairly co-opting Birkin's name for a massively profitable bag? How did she feel about it? 22:16 - How much Hermès paid Birkin for use of her name. 25:57 - How Birkin handled aging out of her It girl status. (Or did she become an It dame?) 31:00 - Was Jane Birkin ambitious? 32:34 - Amy and Marisa play a game: It girl or not an It girl? Featuring: Alix Earle, Lauren Sanchez, Anna Wintour, Apple Martin, and more. Links & resources: • Amy Odell's Back Row newsletter — https://amyodell.substack.com/ • It Girl: The Life