British singer and activist Jane Birkin was affectionately adopted by France as well (Picture: AP)
President Emmanuel Macron said Jane Birkin ‘embodied freedom’ as he led tributes following her death at the age of 76.
London-born singer and actress Birkin charmed France with her British music and fashion style, becoming most famed for her collaboration with the late Serge Gainsbourg and lending her name to the famed Hermès Birkin designer handbag.
On Sunday, French media reported that she was found dead at her home in Paris.
Mr Macron tweeted: ‘Because she embodied freedom, because she sang the most beautiful words of our language, Jane Birkin was a French icon.
‘A complete artist, her voice was as sweet as her engagements were fiery. She bequeaths us tunes and images that will never leave us.’
Rima Abdul Malak, France’s Minister of Culture, also paid tribute, tweeting ‘the most French of Britons is gone’.
Birkin, who died aged 76 on Sunday, was hailed by President Macron as a ‘French icon’ (Picture: Getty)
She continued: ‘Jane B was mischief, impertinent elegance, the never-outdated emblem of an entire era, a murmuring voice that remains our idol.
‘A woman of heart, committed, whose disappearance leaves us Alone In Babylone,’ referencing one of Birkin’s songs.
Similarly, the mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo and the British ambassador to France Menna Rawlings described Birkin respectively as ‘the most Parisian of the English’ and ‘the most French of British artists’.
French reports have said that activist and humanitarian Birkin had health issues for a number of years that kept her from performing, including a mild stroke in 2021 which forced her to cancel shows, and a broken shoulder blade in March.
Birkin rose to international stardom with her risqué projects with Gainsbourg before forging a long and varied career on her own.
With ex-partner Serge Gainsbourg (Picture: Reg Lancaster/Getty Images)
The couple’s breathless song Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus was widely kept from the airwaves because of its adult content but reached number one in the UK despite being sung in a foreign language.
Birkin pursued a solo career releasing several albums, often singing in both French and English, and her notable acting credits including Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile and Evil Under The Sun.
However, she also known in popular culture – and by the fashion forward – to have been honoured by having a bag named after her – but how did this come about?
How did Jane Birkin inspire Hermes?
The Hermès Birkin bag comes in a variety of colours, hides and finishes (Picture: Getty)
Birkin is well known for being the inspiration for the Hermès Birkin handbag, which was introduced in 1984 by the brand.
Fashion businessman Jean-Louis Dumas spoke to the actress and singer about her frustration at not being able to find a bag big enough for her daughter’s bottles during a flight from Paris to London earlier that year.
Following their encounter, he created the original Birkin bag in supple black leather, based on an earlier design, the Haut à Courroies, which Hermès had created around 1900.
The handmade bags quickly became a much sought-after status symbol due to their collectability, high price and exclusivity thanks to long waiting lists.
Birkin with her very own Hermès Birkin bag in 2010 (Picture: Jun Sato/WireImage)
They come in all sorts of finishes and materials, including calf leather, lizard and ostrich, as well as different colours and sizes – and even occasionally diamond-encrusted.
In 2015, Birkin requested the label stop using her name for the crocodile version of the bag over ethical concerns around the alleged treatment of the animal in farming for its skin.
Lady Gaga is one of many celebrity fans of the accessory (Picture: Jun Sato/WireImage)
Birkin bags have a host of celebrity admirers, with famous owners of the accessory including former US first lady Melania Trump, rapper Cardi B (who recently bought one for her five-year-old daughter), pop star-turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham and reality star Kim Kardashian.
How to buy a Birkin bag
A $129,000 (£98,500) crocodile Hermes Birkin Bag (Picture: IMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
Recent prices put the most basic leather model of the Birkin bag starting at a whopping $11,000 (£8,400), but costs vary widely and can be significantly more.
In 2017, a bag made of exotic skin and diamond was sold at auction for a staggering $380,000 (£290,000) in Hong Kong.
Although Birkins are created and distributed on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities in Hermès boutiques, the bags have become very popular and easier to get hold of on the resale market via social media and upscale second-hand shops.
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