This Sunday, the iconic actress, singer, and fashionista, Jane Birkin passed away in her home in Paris at age 76.
Birkin was London-born, but moved to France in the 60’s. Once she was in France, she began acting, getting roles in Blow Up and Wonderwall. After her first couple movies, she dated a well-known French musician named Serge Gainsbourg and began recording music. The two recorded the 1969 hit song “Je T’aime…moi non plus,” and Birkin began her rise to international fame.
After beginning her journey to fame with acting and singing, Birkin became an inspiration to Parisian luxury brand, Hermès. As the story goes, on an Air France flight, Birkin had been carrying her belongings in a plastic bag. The plastic bag broke, and Birkin was sitting next to Hermès head designer, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin began to complain about her bag and explain the struggles of finding the perfect weekend bag, she even sketched it out for Dumas. Later that same year, Hermès released the Birkin Bag, one of the brand’s most iconic and popular items, to meet the exact needs the Jane Birkin recommended.
Over the years, Birkin has been many things: from actress, to singer, to fashion icon, to generous philanthropist, to mother, and many in between. Birkin is survived by two of her daughters, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lou Dillon.
Jane Birkin was incredibly well-liked and respected. Paris mayor, Anne Hidalgo, took to Twitter after hearing the news, saying: “The most Parisian of the English has left us. We will never forget her songs, her laughs and her incomparable accent.”
The iconic Jane Birkin will be missed by all.