NEWS · B2 Level - Part 5

First-Ever Birkin Bag Going Up for Auction

What's behind this security glass? It's the first Birkin bag ever made by the luxury fashion brand, Hermes,

Level: B2 · 18 sentences

Transcript

1. What's behind this security glass?
2. It's the first Birkin bag ever made by the luxury fashion brand, Hermes,
3. and it's going on the auction block at Sotheby's next month.
4. When the gavel comes down, it's expected to be the most expensive handbag in the world.
5. The bag was made for French film star Jane Birkin, seen in this photo with her Birkin.
6. So how did the Birkin bag come to be?
7. Well, the actress, Jane Birkin happened to be sitting next to the CEO of Hermes on a flight.
8. She was using a wicker basket as a purse, and it broke.
9. They discussed how she wished she had a bag that could fit everything that she needed to carry,
10. and so began the Birkin bag.
11. And this is the very first one.
12. The bag was covered in stickers and trinkets.
13. Look closely and you'll see the remnants of glue.
14. In fact, the bag shows years of wear and tear, so it's far from perfect condition,
15. but it's still the original bag, and it could fetch a million dollars.
16. "With a bag as incredible and legendary as this, are you expecting that there's going to be a big bidding war?"
17. "We are expecting a bidding war."
18. That's some handbag!