Portrait of Shinsuke Sakimoto, representative director and president of Valuence Circular Design Company at Tokyo Office. (Sakimoto wears Hermès vintage watch) He won the record-breaking auction for Jane Birkin’s Birkin bag. Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
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Winning bidder of $10M Birkin bag wanted to inflict 'psychological damage' on opponents

Birkin bags can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars and, even if you’re rich, it’s near impossible to get one. In July, the original Birkin bag by Hermès went for an eye-watering $10 million at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris. CNN spoke to its new owner, Japanese collector Shinsuke Sakimoto, to find out how and why he made his winning bid.

02:00 - Source: CNN
CNN Style 15 videos
Portrait of Shinsuke Sakimoto, representative director and president of Valuence Circular Design Company at Tokyo Office. (Sakimoto wears Hermès vintage watch) He won the record-breaking auction for Jane Birkin’s Birkin bag. Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
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Winning bidder of $10M Birkin bag wanted to inflict 'psychological damage' on opponents
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