If you clicked on this article you probably already know what a Birkin is and if not, you definitely heard it in a Drake or Cardi B rap song. The infamous Hermes Birkin is known for two things – the insane price and exclusivity. Birkin bags can range from 40,000 to 500,000 dollars for a single bag. But now, they are being produced digitally and for 23,000 dollars you can have one. You sure can’t hold it but you can stare at it on your computer screen. Here is everything you need to know about the Digital Birkin.
First, let me introduce the concept of NFTs. NFT stands for Non-fungible token and it literally can be anything digital from animations to songs. This is contrary to bitcoin which is fungible and can only take form in “bitcoin”. Another way to explain this concept is that they are a supported form of cryptocurrency but store extra information that makes it different from a coin. It is difficult to grasp and honestly, most people (including me) are confused too.
The birth of the Digital Birkin was created between two artists Mason Rothschild and Eric Ramirez. The physical “Baby Birkin” gained strong popularity after celebrities like Kim Kardashian started buying expensive bags for their children. Inspired by the hype, Mason felt he should create a literal Baby Birkin. Thus came to life our 2000×2000 pixel Birkin bag featuring a 3-D animation of a 40-week child. Soon it was auctioned off for a whopping 23,500 dollars.
Put into retrospect, the price this bag was sold at makes real physical Baby Birkins appear a joke. Most Baby Birkins can be purchased for under 10,000 dollars and bigger bags can still be priced cheaper at around 15,000 dollars. While you may wonder why someone would pay for a digital Birkin over a physical Birkin, some appreciate the artistic meaning behind it. The mesmerizing animation of a Birkin with a fetus’s heartbeat clouded in a dream-like smoke can only be achieved in the digital world. Rothschild hopes that the birth of NFT Birkins will be representative of the brand’s ability to think outside the box and lead the fashion industry in the most unique ways possible.
The integration of fashion and NFTs are new and mesmerizing. The possibilities are endless and allow for a new sort of creative thinking. Who knows, ten years from now I might own a digital puppy.