Even for Beckham and Camavinga, Mac Allister and Van Dijk the new object of desire is the historic Hermès bag
It all starts, once again, with Lionel Messi. This time, however, it had nothing to do with a goal or an assist. Upon arriving in Argentina to play in the qualifiers for next year’s American World Cup, the eight-time winner of the Ballon d’Or attracted flashes not for a play, but for an accessory: a very rare Cargo Hac Birkin by Hermès, created in 2020 and designed for a male audience. Clean lines, four external pockets, a practical soul and a legendary pedigree. Close behind is his national teammate Leandro Paredes (formerly of Juventus and Roma), with a black version embellished with a fashion key ring. Forget collectible sneakers and diamond-studded watches: today the true object of desire for champions is the Birkin, the most iconic bag in the world. What for decades represented female luxury has today become a sort of style trophy for football champions. Football, ever closer to fashion, now represents a global catwalk: players launch trends with a simple shot outside the locker room.
Becks appears in Paris
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David Beckham, pioneer of football elegance, could not be missing. At Paris Fashion Week in March he also appeared with his Birkin in hand, confirming the now strong link between football and haute couture. But fashion is no longer just a matter for the few. Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s Dutch defender, arrived at the training camp wearing a grey, sober and sophisticated Birkin. Same scene, again upon arrival for a meeting with the national team, also for another Argentine Alexis Mac Allister (also a Reds player) and Eduardo Camavinga, star of France and Real Madrid. A personalized model for him too. Then there is Erling Haaland, the man of records. Between one goal and another, the Norwegian showed off a military green Birkin, combined with an impeccable British look during a day of golf. The photo, which bounced everywhere, formalized the entry of the most famous bag into the men’s locker room. Different in style, but united by a clear message: true luxury is not possessing, but knowing how to wear.
It all started in 1983…
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To understand how it all began, we need to go back to 1983. On an Air France flight from Paris to London, actress Jane Birkin finds herself next to Jean-Louis Dumas, creative director of Hermès. During the trip, her bag falls from the overhead compartment and spills notes and objects on the ground. Dumas helps her, she sighs: “There is no such thing as a truly beautiful, elegant and also practical bag.” A few weeks later, Dumas gave her a prototype designed for her: roomy, chic, functional. This is how the Birkin was born, it was 1984. Over the years, it became a legend. It’s not enough to have money to buy it: you have to deserve it. Waiting lists can last years, and the fashion house decides who to sell it to. More than a purchase, an initiation rite into the world of luxury. And it is perhaps precisely this exclusivity that bewitches footballers, accustomed to winning everything but always looking for a new symbolic goal. The Birkin is the Champions League of style.
The former midfielder
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The legend continues to rewrite records. Last year, in Paris, the first Birkin that belonged to Jane Birkin was auctioned for 8.6 million euros: a figure never reached by a fashion accessory. It was purchased by Shinsuke Sakimoto, former Gamba Osaka midfielder and now CEO of Valuence Japan, a second-hand luxury giant. At just 22 years old, he left football for the elite reuse business, explaining his choice thus: “Luxury is shared memory”. From the fields to the boutiques of Paris, the Birkin confirms itself as a symbol of transversal power, capable of uniting sport, fashion and success. While the fans discuss formations and goals, the champions play another game, that of style. And, judging by the images, it really seems that they have already won this one too.
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