20 years ago, carrying a Birkin not only meant you had money; it meant you had connections. You knew secrets. You were special. Then this guy came along:
His name is Michael Tonello and in 2008 he published Bringing Home the Birkin, a memoir recounting his many Birkin purchases. In a single TV interview, Tonello proved that anyone could get one of these coveted bags, including a man dressed like PeeWee Herman with Kate Gosselin’s haircut and a thick Boston accent. But Tonello’s book, while very informative, failed to reach the masses.
Then came TikTok — and “how to get a Birkin” went from a mystery to a step-by-step process, spelled out by a handful of Hermes consumer-enthusiasts happy to share their wisdom.
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Leading the charge is Alex Pardoe, aka @birkintrash, a hair extension wizard and collector of all things Hermes. Pardoe produces addictive vlog-style content documenting his frequent Hermes purchases and dropping tips for other Hermes hopefuls along the way.
He (begrudgingly) supports the “quota bag” system and takes us with him to get one of his. Among other things, we learn that if you enter the Hermes store through the front door, you’re already doing it wrong.
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Here’s how he got his first “quota bag” offered: He went to the Las Vegas store (a location where the clients are more transient and therefore the barrier to building a strong Sales Associate relationship is lower) and walked in with an exotic Birkin on his arm.
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Then there’s Charles Gross, a twenty-something fashion expert with a soothing voice and glass skin who became internet-famous when he bought an authentic Birkin on eBay for $300 and now details his own collection of Hermes goods, offering mini-lessons in Birkin etiquette: faking a pregnancy to entice the sales associate to offer you one isn’t immoral but it is ineffective; reordering your items on your “wish list” might speed the process up.
Like Pardoe, Gross takes followers with him on his trips to the Hermes store, chronicling his purchases in extremely specific detail and teaching us things like the “Birkin room” is hidden behind the mirrored glass wall.
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But not everyone is a fan of this transparency. @madisonrougerie shared that she “no longer apires” to own a Birkin because of the “oversaturation” on TikTok. “[Hermes has] specifically set out so that Kaley from Artichoke, Nebraska has no idea what a Birkin is,” she argued. FWIW, plenty of Nebraksans reported that they knew what Birkins were long before TikTok.
Still, she might have a point: If part of the appeal of owning a Birkin was knowing that other people would wonder what black magic you performed to get it, does the appeal go down other people know that all you did to get it was buy a bunch of other Hermes s*** you didn’t really want?
Meanwhile, TikToks are popping up comparing the Chanel Classic Flap to the Hermes Birkin. It’s hard for me to imagine how happy this makes Chanel, who is clearly trying to take a run at Hermes by raising prices, limiting access, and training customers to build relationships with singular sales associates.
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All of that said, does knowing more about how to get a Birkin make you want one more… or less? Share your thoughts below!