Hermes Birkin bags have been a major status symbol for as long as I’ve been paying attention to purses, which is 20-plus years. The Birkin bag was made by Hermès chief executive Jean-Louis Dumas in the 1980s for Jane Birkin’s needs. The original Birkin was one size and I think just a handful of colors, but the Birkin bag grew in such popularity so quickly that it was deemed a necessity for all women of any kind of means, and Hermes slowly added more colors and leather types and sizes. Twenty years ago, the wait list for the Birkin was long and women could end up waiting for years. But I think Birkins are more widely available now, especially on the secondary market. As such, the elite status symbol has become more common with ALL kinds of celebrities – Real Housewives, Kardashians, and hip-hop empresses. Cardi B obviously has an extensive Birkin collection, as does Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian and tons of other women. The Birkin is still a status symbol, but it has become more of a “new money” status symbol and that’s fine too. There’s nothing wrong with new money.
But Cardi B has heard some of the criticisms. There were apparently some tweets and conversations about how rap stars were devaluing Birkins, or that women like Cardi are rocking fake Birkins. So, Cardi had some sh-t to say.
“I’ve been seeing this tweet right. It had me and it had other female rappers on it. They were talking about if we could get Birkins from the Hermés store and they [were] also saying how we depreciate the value of a Hermés Birkin bag. I find that really interesting because, first thing first, I definitely could get a bag. Actually, I got four bags today from the Hermés store,” the “WAP” rapper, 28, said in the video shared on Instagram. Cardi went on to say that people shouldn’t be questioning if Black women “could get a bag from the Hermés store” because “y’all don’t do this to these white celebrities.”
“So why is it that y’all gotta be asking us? What the f—? It just makes you want to brag like, ‘Bitch do you know who the f— you’re talking to?’ But no, I’m not even going to take it there,” she said.
When addressing the comment about Black rappers making the Birkin bag less elusive than it once was, Cardi said she has actually helped do the opposite. “Another thing is that they’re saying we’re depreciating the value,” she said. “Actually, we add value because when we mention brands in hip-hop, s— go up.” She referenced her hit single “Bodak Yellow,” which referenced designer Christian Louboutin. “When ‘Bodak Yellow’ came out you could actually Google that their sales went up 1000+%.” Similarly, the star’s famous lyric, “I like those Balenciagas / The ones that look like socks” from her song “I Like It Like That” contributed to a spike in Balenciaga sales. “That s— went up too and that’s why they worked with me this year. Like hip-hop, we start trends,” Cardi said. “When y’all say that we devalue s—, no we actually add value.”
Cardi also slammed people who question whether a designer handbag is real or fake when they see a Black or Hispanic woman carrying it. “And another thing is, why when a Black girl, why when a Hispanic girl [has] a bag you have to question it? ‘Oh is it fake?’ or ‘She’s a scammer’ or ‘She’s f—ing a n—— for it,'” the star said. “There’s a lot of boss-ass bitches out here. There’s bitches that’s getting money out here.”
But most importantly, Cardi wanted her fans to know that if they can’t afford a designer purse, they shouldn’t feel pressure from the world to go out and buy one. “Let me tell you something: if you’re a regular girl you don’t gotta break your neck to have a Birkin. A Birkin don’t make you…” Whether dressed head-to-toe in a designer label or not, Cardi said you can still be “swaggy as f—.” She added: “They makes that fashion with the Zara and the H&M amazingly. So don’t ever feel like you gotta compare yourself. Don’t compare yourself to nobody [on] the internet. This internet s— is fake… You still a bad f—ing bitch. Period.”
I love what Cardi says here. And no, Cardi isn’t devaluing the Birkin, she’s actually promoting the bag to a new generation of consumers. The only think I’d like to add is that I genuinely believe that Hermes has been quietly making more and more Birkins every year, because truly, I remember those wait-lists and I remember how rich bitches could never get their hands on Birkins, and now Cardi can just pop into the Hermes shop and pick up four of them? Quietly flooding the market is what’s devaluing Birkins, if they are in fact being devalued.
Photos courtesy of Cardi’s Instagram, Backgrid.
Trho, the reality stars and hip hop Stars certainly devalue some brands to some Customers. But this doesn’t mean it’s a net loss for the brands. Not sure why people are ignorant enough to speculate Cardi has fake ones
I remember in the UK Burberry wanted the ‘chavs’ to stop wearing their signature plaid design(even though i am sure they were knock offs). Guessing their high end customers were put off.
I think the moment my basic b* self can identify a bag, belt, shoe, etc… by it’s designer, it’s kind of over, they’ve made the transition to just a new money/upper middle class status symbol. For example, the Gucci belt trend a few years made me think, “oh, Gucci must not that high end anymore if every influencer on the ‘gram is rocking this belt.” Same with Louboutin heels, Chanel chain bags, etc….
Nope. Because the moment you can identify those things means the brand is making hella money. Which is the whole point. Adding value isnt about prestige it’s about sales and bottom lines. Most of the design houses are owned by conglomerates now. Sales is what they look at. Not exclusivity.
What, exactly, from my post are you disagreeing with? I’m fully aware that they do it for money. My point is that the brand loses it’s “exclusivity”/high-end-ness when even the most basic of folks (which I can fully realize I am) can identify it as a nouveau riche status symbol. Doesn’t mean they don’t cash in.
Valiantly Vanquished, Hermes does not have a volume sales strategy. Their entire brand is built around exclusivity. That a select group will pay insane prices to own a bag that’s barely identifiable to the common eye. You can’t just walk in and buy a bag from the store. You are chosen to buy a bag almost like being picked to get into an exclusive club. Brand awareness outside of that niche world is irrelevant to their business model.
Are rappers lowering the brand? Depends on the rapper. Nicki Minaj or Doja Cat or Meg make good Birkin owners. They blend sophistication with youth culture well. More importantly they are not throwing shoes at people and hiring goons to beat up a love rival, like Cardi B. They are not linking the bag to a police altercation as she did today. She’s devaluing the brand and that has nothing to do with her being Latina or a rapper. It’s because she acts how she does.
Agreed. The more a brand is recognizable to the peons it ceases to be exclusive.
I can highly recommend the book, Affluena, by Clive Hamilton. He explains all of this. And, meh. I always associate these bags (and a lot of other designer stuff) with chavs.
@Julie Hermes has ceded exclusivity years ago. For decades Hermes ran on scarcity and that’s simply not the case anymore. It’s why they have started producing more Birkins. They used to only make 10 a YEAR. Cardi has 4. Thats not HER cheapening the brand. That’s the brand creating more product.
nope, the trend a few years back WAS logo infused fashion. I’ve never enjoyed logos or easily identified fashion, but I am a minority in that aspect.
Those people aren’t merely ignorant. They’re racists. Pay attention to the ones in these comments defending the idea that a rapper “cheapens” the brand. That’s Karen, asking you speak to the manager at Hermes because they couldn’t possibly let one of those people carry their bag.
Exactly this.
@lanie(hope I got the right person)
absolutely correct!!! nobody can cheapen a brand that has become easy and attainable…that’s their doing, and for people to say Ms Cardi has done so, is ridiculously out of touch…
This part.
I have a small collection of their silk scarves. I love the brand but would never spend that much money on a bag (on my income of course, on Cardi’s yes!).
Ohhh, their scarves are gorgeous! I remember years ago being at the airport in Amsterdam and browsing through their duty-free shop just drooling at all the scarves.
As for the purses, I prefer the Kelly bag to the Birkin…don’t ask me why because I couldn’t really tell you (they look so similar, IMHO.) In any event it’s a moot point because I can’t afford either lol.
I like the Kelly better too–sleeker lines, better handle placement. I might buy one from an auction house second hand one day, but I’ll never buy a new one.
I love looking at and occasionally buying nice handbags, but for me—I’m of an age where I have to have one that I can throw over my shoulder. I don’t want to be carrying it in my hand or having it parked on my wrist, and that’s all I can think of when I see these Birkins. I want simplicity and utility.
If I had some new money, I’d go buy myself a birkin! And a celine, which is not nearly as much but still out of my range.
I am so tired of this BS when Black folks rock luxury brands (racially coded as a new money thing). The brands themselves have in the past talked this racist trash — happened with Cristal champagne in 2006 (https://qz.com/293456/how-a-racist-remark-led-to-jay-zs-newest-investment-champagne/) and pretty sure Louis Vuitton in the 2000s? It’s racism plain and simple.
It’s awful that Cardi B had to even say this. It’s so freaking offensive.
Tommy Hilfiger talked that racist trash too. I stopped wearing his stuff after that.
I dunno, this reminds me of when Daniella Westbrook went out wearing head to toe Burberry check (including her baby daughters outfit, and pram accessories), the Burberry check became so synonymous with chav that it did totally devalue the brand, and prior to that it had been a total status symbol. I actually had a Burberry check scarf I had been gifted that I stopped wearing at the time because it just seemed cringe.
That’s a fake rumor. Oprah said it was fake on her show. (I remember because I was home sick that day and watched.)
Tommy has always paid homage to the street styles that have inspired him. There is an interview with him saying that to see it on the actual street kids was really emotional for him, because he was so inspired by street fashion.
Yup this is a huuuuuuuuuuuge part of it. It is wild to see how blatant the racism and classicism this shows.
Yes and I remember SATC Samantha wanted to get one and they told her 5 years wait list,she only got one once she used an A listers name. I dont think its necessary devaluing but it just loses its exclusivity when every insta model now has one.
Came here for this comment 🙂
….and Hermes is laughing all the way to the bank!
All these brands care about is money. There’s nothing exclusive about them.
Read Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello, a fun, hilarious read. He cracked the waiting list and discovered his own “Birkin formula” and blew the waiting list out of the water. 😉
THIS. A lot of these brands wouldn’t be able to survive without producing more product. And then you have the brands that are owned by LVMH and other conglomerates and ALL they care about is profit.
Well, the reason Hermes has always been at the top of the exclusive bags pile is because each bag is fully made beginning to end by one artisan in Italy who then stamps their stamp on it. There is no factory line involved. It’s not one artist doing all of the handles while another does all of the linings. Each artisan makes bags in full from beginning to end and has their own distinct stamp. If a bag ever needs repairs, it goes back to that same artisan who made it originally for repairs. The quality is second to none.
Most designer bags are made mostly in Asia by underpaid workers and then sent to Italy for the final stitches so that they can say it was “made in Italy”. That’s why Italy was so heavily hit by the pandemic early on, because of the connections between Wuhan and the manufacturing areas in Italy.
So, whilst Hermes bags used to only be made in very small numbers and that was part of their exclusivity, they are still of the highest quality. Additionally, it’s my understanding that you need to have spent a certain amount at Hermes before they’ll even allow you on the list for a Birkin.
Uh?
All Birkins and Kellys are made in one of Hermès’ twenty-odd manufacturing plants in *France*, by French-trained leather-workers…who also don’t have their own *stamps*.
Ways to get “offered” a bag vary widely depending on the Hermès store you shop at.
Would love to know why the white French people who make Hermès bags get to be referred to as “artists” but the peeps making other luxury bags in Wuhan are mere workers. Not to take anything away from Hermès’ history of craftsmanship, but making the same bag over and over again in a variety or colors and finishes according to a brand’s stringent cahier des charges is hardly “artistry”.
I’m mesmerized by those nails. I would never be able to do anything with those.
I came here to say how the hell do you do anything for yourself with those talons? Like honestly, how do you manage to even wipe yourself after you pee? Seriously?!
I remember her saying sometime last year that she stabbed herself in the a** with them wiping.
I pray to God that she dumps offset and becomes the next Mariah Carey. She has that queen energy.
I remember when Cadillacs were exclusively for lame old white dudes. Then sports stars and rappers started driving the Escalade and the brand exploded. Eff that racist “new money” talk.
um how about progressive liberal left devaluing the birkin – I don’t think it’s ever been more tacky to wear a 10-100K bag when you could’ve donated those money to climate change or water and education in impoverished regions, etc. jesus. there’s plenty of high quality nice bags under 10K, come on
Making Cardi B or any black woman responsible for capitalism is beyond ridiculous. No one is freaking out at rich white women for their Birkins. And no one is freaking out at rich white men for voting GOP. And demanding that WOC be more “virtuous” than everyone else is incredibly unfair.
Also screw donating. PAY TAXES. Vote for people who will raise taxes.
Damson, thank you for every bit of this.
And to Katie, stay out of people’s pockets. This is an issue because racists made it an issue. You have NO idea what else she is doing with her money, an/ord where she’s helping others. Concern trolling on your version of the “good” she can do with her money isn’t your call to make.
Bingo!
Eh, Cardi is not responsible for capitalism but she’s been a big Bernie supporter for a while and this hyper consumption is at odds with that.
*I* am freaking out. that’s literally what I said. I said don’t blame her, blame the liberal movement for devaluing the bag as the bag now doesn’t mean good things, regardless of who wears it.
I wouldn’t patronize a company that raised crocs and ostriches to be slaughtered for high-end handbags, no thanks. All a Birken says is that you can afford a pricey handbag. And then what? And why are they picking on Cardi when they should be going after the K-Klan, who practically snorts Birkin bags.
Kelleybelle — completely agree!
I think my fave part about this video is she is saying all this while showing off her iceberg of a diamond in the back of her Rolls Royce.
Yes she can afford a Birkin or 20 and so much more AND she earned that sh*t. She didn’t inherit her wealth. She busted her butt to get where she is and has accomplished more in less than 30 years than anyone hating on her.
Brands like Herme’s can keep their prices high and maintain exclusivity while selling more product, because there are more rich people and the wealth the of super rich is higher than ever, and even though more and more people are in hardship.
Everything Cardi says here is true. Having said that, rich people and companies should be paying more taxes. Taxes taxes taxes…the money could be used for better schools, public health, everything we need!
I never thought about how “new money” can be racially coded. What is additionally ridiculous about using that term as a slur is that American culture is so pro-“pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” and being “self made” that it *should* be new money! If it’s old money, you’re living off an anti-American hierarchical class system. Get that money, Cardi!
+1. I like that she addressed this.
When YouTubers/ 3rd rate reality stars could get their hands on one or more, it was over. The closet tours videos are tacky AF. Cardi is legitimately famous, like Lucy Liu was in the SATC episode referenced so it isn’t her devaluing the brand.
And I’m just sitting here trying to wrap my head around people (rich or not) buying these heavily overpriced handbags. They’re not even pretty. Sure they’re not ugly as sin but seriously, they are so damn plain.
The Birkin bag was designed to be practical, to carry folders and paper, not eye-catching. Jane Birkin carried a straw basket before the Birkin was designed for her because she wouldn’t find a good, secure handbag.
And now Jane Birkin doesn’t carry her bag at all!
I love that Birkin herself doesn’t use it. Everyone’s trying to catch her cool but she’s already moved on.
Ok, so it was the best handbag of its time. You paid for that.
Now you have other handbags that do the job for much MUCH less money.
I love bags but honestly I just think Birkins are ugly. This whole shelf looks like she picked up a bunch of $40-$50 bags in the front of a DSW to me lol
Yikes that is a shrill af dog whistle.
Also I love what she had to say about not needing to rock designer brands to look good and saying “you still a bad b-tch” to every girl and woman out there.
Omg, those shoes in the last pic make me hurl lol.
Have a v wealthy friend who bought one for his mother’s birthday about 6-7 years ago. I’m a bit of a bag nerd so he made a point of letting me see it before it was wrapped. It was…unremarkable. Nice enough. But nothing really special. I was surprised. Aesthetically, it’s awkwardly shaped to my eye. Stuck between a proper hand bag and a shopper. When I compare it to the craft and quality of the vintage Kelly bag I saw at auction, it’s clear a Birkin has been an idea of exclusive (white) luxury taken to a fetishized extreme. Cardi is right that this conversation is barely veiled racist dog whistling. It’s never been about the money.
On a TOTALLY different level, my boyfriends sister wanted a Mulberry bag for her 30th (say c.$1000) so not cheap but a long way from Hermes prices. It was weird to see the way his family responded, particularly his parents who bought it. I was there the night before and his mum asked me if I wanted to ‘see the Mulberry’. Plain, black, leather bag. Now Mulberry do some lovely bags and I get the entry-level status symbol thing they have/had here in the UK but this was not a particularly nice bag. I have a few designer bags and I consciously don’t use them when I’m seeing his family as they seem weird about it!
I’d buy a Birkin in a heartbeat if i could afford one. It’s a safe nonvolatile investment. A++ in my books.
“a company that raised crocs and ostriches to be slaughtered for high-end handbags,” (kelleybelle, #10)
Literal wholesale slaughter to make those bags.
It was the reason Jane Birkin asked Hermes to remove her name from the product.
Then there was a thorough investigation how are the animals treated and apparently it was sufficient to Jane
God it is so disgusting how White people perceive women of color and hip hop culture as downmarket. Sickening. Either you like what the brand is doing with quality and design or you don’t. People who think this way are really only revealing their racism and utter lack of creativity.
Agree – the perceived decrease in exclusivity is sits with Birkin increasing production of units/varieties available not with the women who choose to buy and increase awareness their products.
Aside – I’m guilty of occasionally buying something I love in a few colours but I cannot fathom wanting so many versions of the same bag??
Cardi has a point. People were also complaining about her buying matching designer stuff for her daughter.
It all boils down to some people don’t like seeing POCs (especially black people) having nice things. Seeing them above and beyond where they think they should be. IT DRIVES THEM CRAZY.
It’s none of my business how Cardi spends her money. If she wants her and her baby to be dripping in designer goods, that’s her business.
And I also agree with her point that when ANY famous person wears a designer brand or uses a certain product, it’s free promo for the brand and increases their sales.
And is being exclusive to only a tiny number of elites a profitable business model?
I love a good bag. I really do. But I can’t afford that stuff.
It’s only a devaluing if you think only certain types of rich people should have access to luxury goods.
Aka if you’re racist.
I posted her video on my IG stories. I agreed with everything she said. From the lowkey racism and elitism of questioning why and how Black and Latino acquire luxury items to ho owning designer isnt the end all and be all. Her comments were on point. Hip-hop IS the new style litmus. And has been for actually decades dating back to the late 90’s.
I posted her video on my IG stories. I agreed with everything she said. From the lowkey racism and elitism of questioning why and how Black and Latino acquire luxury items to ho owning designer isnt the end all and be all. Her comments were on point. Hip-hop IS the new style litmus. And has been for actually decades dating back to the late 90’s.
Those bags are so expensive, anyone rich already knows about them or has one. Her fan base, as most fan bases, aren’t that kind of rich. We normies can’t afford those bags. It doesn’t matter if your fave rapper has one or four, you’re not going out to buy one…unless you’d rather have a purse than a house lol.
What’s weird about Hermes is you can’t just go into the store and buy a bag. you have to buy other stuff from them first before they “offer” you the opportunity to buy a bag. You can’t ask to buy one. They have to decide you’re worthy of it first. I wouldn’t be shocked if they had different standards for BIPOC versus white people. I’d bet anything that there’s plenty of conscious or unconscious bias in a company like that. Someone should survey their customers to see how long it took people to get “offered” a bag. Their customer service is notoriously poor as well, especially in Harrods. I couldn’t afford to even walk in that kind of store anyway but this is what I know from people who do shop there.
Cardi was absolutely right about everything in her video. I haven’t checked but I’m pretty sure she has more Instagram followers than Hermes does–every time she poses with a bag or shows a pic of her collection she’s promoting Hermes to millions of people. That’s enormously valuable marketing that keeps an old-fashioned brand relevant. She adds value for sure. I love Cardi’s sense of color.
They have to offer you the chance to buy a bag? Good Lord. The world is just getting more and more exclusive and exclusionary by the minute. Apart from things like this (which yes, I can totally imagine their numbers being skewed towards White people), it seems like you can use your money to jump any and all lines or obstacles these days. Don’t want to wait in line for Santa? Pay a fee and leave these other losers in the dust. Same for fast passes at amusement parks. It’s all just kind of gross.
I’m not necessarily saying Cardi B has too much money, as I have no clue how much she has, but Jeff B and Elon M and all of them most certainly do.
I love her so much. Talking about h&m and shit still being a bad bitch. She’s my girl lol. I’d LOOOOVVVEEE to see her continue to be political and grow politically higher and higher.
She’s absolutely right. She has the money, she can afford it, and what she’s doing is no different from other women celebrities with this Birkin obsession. I remember when certain champagne brands were complaining ( maybe Cristal?) that rappers were undermining their brand and they got major pushback, or the fact that Hermès wouldn’t let Oprah in the store. This is unconscious bias when you assume a black or brown person can’t afford Birkins or Cartier watches or own a house or whatever. We’re not all on minimum wage jobs.They love the shout outs and brand awareness these people give but then don’t want them to actually be seen with them. There is some rich Singapore socialite on Instagram who shows off her closets full of Birkins and buys and sells them at auctions, but no one is exactly saying she cheapens the brand. Even Jeffree Star has a ton of Birkins and he’s super messy, but no one says he cheapens the brand. Also, they may be coveted items but they still look like old lady suitcase bags to me.
The whole “luxury” fashion market is so vapid and show how people are so uncreative that they have to dress how the media tells them to to be cool. I remember in hs all the popular girls had boring coach and Dooney and Burke bags and thought that was so fashionable but even then I realized how dumb that was. Why does an overpriced purse make someone cool? If you’re a creative artist why not create a cool bag that hasn’t been done 1000 times before and looks like everything else on the market?
The 90’s? Yes, reading all this was bringing back strong memories of the 90’s when you weren’t isht in certain kind of offices if you didn’t have Coach or Dooney. I did have Coach bags at the time, and now I look at them and wonder what I ever saw in them? I don’t know if they’ve gone down hill but i see them in dept stores and I think they’re quite ugly. But I don’t wear leather bags at all anymore, so maybe it’s me.
Total side note but why can’t she get a shelf that actually fits the bags? They’re all hanging over the side with bent handles, I don’t get it.
I have no interest in expensive bags so I don’t understand the appeal of spending a ton of money on a plain looking bag. I just don’t get it, it’s a bag. No hate to people who love them, you do you. I collect mugs so we can all have our “things.”
That being said, Cardi B can spend her money on birkin bags if she wants and she’s not devaluing it. I am guessing her flaunting her birkin bags probably brings interest from a younger generation that might otherwise associate birkin bags with 50 year old white ladies. I’m sure some real housewives and Kardashians own this bag and if the association with messy reality tv stars doesn’t degrade the brand….
I own one of their twilly scarves. I keep it in its little box and I look at it from time to time. It’s kind of small so I don’t know what to do with it. I still love it though.
Cardi B is life. I just love her.
If anything, racist jerkface Jeffree Star devalues the brand.
When think pieces are written about Kylie, Jeffree Star, and other rich WHITE people devaluing the brand, maybe I’ll care. This, however, is such blatant racism that I just can’t.
The bag is ugly. I hope hers are all fakes because spending that kind of money on a closet full of purses is idiotic. People say that the bags hold or rise in value but that’s because they were so scarce before. Now that they’re not, the value will drop. That’s just how it goes.
In 20 years when she’s back on reality tv trying to pay her rent, she’ll wish she hadn’t thrown so much money away on garbage.
Or she invests wisely, you don’t know .
But nice dogwhistle
Every time I see those old money snobs talking about black or Hispanic or foreign people lik myself.people devaluing brands apparently….an episode of Posh pawn comes to mind
There was some posh old English aristocrat (her roof in dangerous leaking state and she didnt have any money for repairs, nor heating) so she showed some designer bags ( chanel chain bag, and 2 Birkins )all bags looked ok from outside from inside they were mess (spilled ink in one , one Birkin has tears) but she still presented it as the most grandiose things ever.
So the guy first authenticated them as originals and then actually said how horrible state of bags etc.How much repairs will coat, cleaning…
I never forget how that old woman floats in as biggest fairytale aristocrat and he tell her your bags are not worth the money u asking- her face!!😂 she looked like somebody slapped her- she was really offended and her reply was but this is birkin!! I paid like 10k for it and he very casually (what was exquisite that guy was foreigner) reply maybe u did but damage etc I can give you 1500 most 😂😂😂and it was just plain second slap in the face.
Third was just how high and mighty she acted beying aristocrat, old titles etc but she didnt have money to repair her roof over her head and she had to ask foreigner for money ..lol it was pure gold.
Am I just old- or has fashion been really lame lately? I don’t think those bags are worth fighting over, I’ve seen knockoffs at Walmart and Forever21. Cardi can wear what she wants. If anyone ruined the Birkin it was Kanye giving Kim that ugly bag with nude painted people on it!
Online resales are. Therealreal and other sites that swear they authenticate is why. These weren’t around 10 years ago and no one trusted ebay. Plus all the tacky colors cause resales, people who can afford don’t want to be seen in the same “trendy” bag year after year. They sell one to buy a new one.