Closer Looks: Jay Ahr and the Birkin Bag

For our next Closer Looks series, we look at Jay Ahr‘s hand-crafted bespoke collection featuring Hermès‘ most iconic Birkin handbag, re-envisioned with new embroidered layers of pattern.

The storytelling behind the designs is inspired by both the historical and contemporary narratives of society and culture. The classic silhouette of the bags acts as the perfect canvas for Jay Ahr’s creative endeavors. The patterns are not abstract nor figurative, but exist between the spontaneity of freehand drawing and algorithmic geometries. The artistic chaos is discreet but still carries on the individual story each artistic rendering portrays.

Inspiration for the bag designs often overlaps between local and international culture, ancient artifacts and contemporary artists. Though influences are broad, each piece is a Jay Ahr design original that is multi-layered and references an array of themes. Since each bag is purchased second-hand from major auction houses worldwide, Jay Ahr also takes inspiration from the stories of its previous ownership.

Prior to embarking on the creative journey of producing the bag, the artist looks at when the bag was made, where it was originally purchased, who was last to own it, and where the bag has traveled and lived in. For instance, a bag which was purchased from Japan, features an erotic Shunga to allude to its Japanese roots.

The entire transformation process takes up to six months, with more than 20 people working on one bag. Each bag is unique and Jay Ahr only applies a specific design to a specific color and size once. To ensure the authenticity of the transformed piece, Jay Ahr completes the piece with a bespoke, branded metal chip for authentication.

Take a detailed look at Jay Ahr’s collection above, and for those interested, inquiries can be sent in to personalshopping@hbx.com.

In case you missed it, Hermès dropped its first dedicated men’s collection, the H08, at Watches and Wonders 2021.