| Hermes Birkin bag |
By Rachel Lee
A strange smell is making Hermes owners frustrated.
The odor in question has been likened to skunk (both the animal and the kind a person might smoke) which has affected a large batch of the French fashion house's iconic Birkin handbags sold over the past two years. Customers have returned the offending bags, which retail anywhere from five million to more than 30 million won, in mass quantities after complaining that the expensive accessories smell of marijuana.
"After driving in the car for about 30 minutes, I smelled what I thought was a dead skunk. Another 30 minutes later I could still smell the dead skunk, and I thought it was odd, but never imagined it could be my bag. I keep [it] in an armoire... When I opened the cabinet door this morning, the smell hit me, and I immediately knew it was the bag," one owner of the Hermes Kelly bag posted on Purse Blog.
Hermes has reportedly told those affected there was a problem with a "badly tanned" batch of leather from a supplier and the offending items would be returned to Paris. The marijuana smell is a worldwide problem as Hermes has distributed to boutiques in limited quantities and often on back order.
| Victoria Beckham |
"We haven't heard anything from Paris yet, but we think it's just a strange smell of the leather," said a Hermes Korea spokesperson Tuesday, declining to comment further on the complaints made by local customers.
To remedy the situation, Hermes will need to have the leather panels removed back in Paris and completely rebuild the bags sans smell.
The Birkin is one of the affected bags, along with the Kelly and the Elan clutch. Crocodile skin versions of the bag can cost up to 63 million won, but are not thought to be affected by the problem.
Birkin ownership has become a status symbol for some women since the luxury handbag maker gained a reputation for making the best bags on the market. It's also known for scarcity and long waiting lists. Customers include the likes of Victoria Beckham, as well as local celebrities Lee Young-ae and Ko So-young.
The Birkin's design was inspired by actress Jane Birkin. In 1981, Hermes Chief Executive Jean-Louise Dumas was sitting next to Birkin on a flight. She complained that she was unable to find a suitable leather weekend bag, and Dumas went on to design a carryall tailored specifically to her needs. Birkin recently complained that the bag is "bloody heavy" and said "I'm going to have to have an operation for tendonitis in the shoulder." That said, she continues to carry the hugely popular accessory.