Hollywood actor and singer Jane Birkin, the inspiration behind the famous Birkin bags by luxury brand Hermès, passed away at the age of 76 in Paris, as confirmed by France’s Culture Ministry. The English-French actress, singer and model was the quintessential “it” girl from the 1960s through the 1980s. She is survived by two daughters, Charlotte and Lou Doillon. Her third daughter, Kate, was born in 1967 and passed away in 2013.

Source: Official website of Hermes

What is the connection between the glamour girl and Hermes Birkin? Well, one of the most coveted objects of the past few decades was inspired in 1984, aboard a flight from Paris to London. Per the official website of Hermès: “British actress Jane Birkin, sitting next to Jean-Louis Dumas, Executive Chairman of Hermès, was complaining that she couldn’t find a bag suitable for her needs as a young mother. A born creator with a keen eye, he immediately sketched a supple and spacious rectangular holdall with a burnished flap and saddle stitching. With a dedicated space for her baby’s bottles! Today The Birkin is available in a rare heritage leather with unique character… entirely vegetable-tanned natural cowhide has an exceptionally transparent finish.”

A year later, the Birkin bag made its debut and was gifted to Jane Birkin. Its roomy interior and secure lock made it an ideal and very stylish hold-all during travel and shortly it became a cult product. In August 2001- when an episode of Sex and the City showed Samantha saying, “It’s not a bag — it’s a Birkin!”- demand for the luxury bag skyrocketed. And why not? Per a report by Sotheby’s, the Birkin takes artisans around eighteen hours to handcraft and is marked with a code that identifies its year of creation, the workshop it was crafted in, and the artisan who created it. And, it increases in value. PS Jane Birkin auctioned her original 40-cm Birkin for a reported $162,000 to support earthquake relief efforts in Japan.