This week, Kim Kardashian stepped out of the house sporting a new $40,000 Hermes Birkin. Nothing new there. The catch? This cognac colored bag featured a hand-painted scene by the contemporary, American artist George Condo — the same man who created the cover art for Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album.
Two years ago, you wouldn’t have caught Kim carrying anything with even a subtle stain on it – let alone a bag featuring a trio of voluptuous nudes and a monster. This proves to be the latest in Kayne’s mission to elevate the reality star’s fashion sensibility and standing. And while we aren’t fans of the painting, we love the message behind it. The message being that a status symbol — for all it costs — never surpasses individual style — a priceless commodity.
But Kayne, um, Kim, isn’t the first to show ambivalence towards the cult classic. Jane Birkin, the muse who inspired the Hermes namesake, was the first to proudly use and abuse the iconic tote. She adorned hers with Tibetan stickers and beads really making it her own. (Of course, when you have a bag named after you and you get them for free, you can do whatever the ‘eff you want with them).
Three years ago, Lady Gaga made a similar statement. The singer professed love for her fans by writing in Japanese, “I love little monster, Tokyo love” on her pristine white Birkin. Following Gaga’s lead, friend and former stylist Nicola Formichetti unleashed his artistic side on his baby blue Birkin using a sharpie to squiggle cartoon shapes and pandas. On the center of the bag it reads, “This is Nicopanda. This bag is not for you!” And in a show of added irreverence towards the bag’s status, he used it as a carrier for his Pomeranians, Tank and Bambi. Even jewelry designer, Lynn Ban, got in on the action commissioning graffiti artists Mint&Serf to tag her bag.
While customizing or defacing (depending on how you look at it) such an iconic bag might seem shocking to some, we think it’s rad. Kimye’s defiance in the face of fashion is genius. Now it’s not just a bag – it’s a work of art. Can you imagine the value of her Birkin now? Our prediction is that luxury brands will start to follow suit, customizing their pieces for VIP clients who want individual style in addition to status. Can you say ‘collector’s item?’
To us, it’s quite simple. What’s cooler than something so precious that’s also personal? In our book, very few things.
