Jane Birkin on the “Armchair Theater – Poor Cherry” TV show in 1967. She wears a blue outfit with multicolored flower designs and her long hair is loose as is.

Jane is best known as a singer and actress who inspired the world famous Hermes Birkin bag. She was born in London, England and started her acting career by auditioning in the 1960s. Although she was initially insecure about her appearance, she continued to pursue her creative dreams and made her acting debut with an uncredited role in 1965’s Talent…and How to Get It. The following year, she really exploded onto the scene in 1966’s Blow Up followed by Kaleidoscope and Wonderwall.

The Birkin bag was designed by Hermès, the Parisian luxury label, in 1984 after Jeanne was impressed by former CEO Jean-Louis Dumas during a flight from Paris to her hometown of London. The two allegedly discussed Jane’s challenges in finding a bag that would fit everything she needed as a mother of two young children at the time – which led Jane to create the Birkin bag.

Jane sadly passed away at the age of 76 on July 16, 2023, after a number of previous health struggles. Browse through the gallery to see some of her best photo moments over the years.