- Iconic artist: Jane Birkin, singer, actress, and fashion icon, passes away at 76
- Musical partnership: Known for her collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg on “Je T’aime…moi nonplus”
- Birkin handbag: Her influence inspired the creation of the iconic Hermès Birkin purse
Jane Birkin, a vocalist, actress, and fashion icon, passed away at the age of 76.
The English-French star was known for her personal and artistic relationship with songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, with whom she recorded the iconic song “Je T’aime…moi nonplus”
In addition, she was the inspiration for the ubiquitous Birkin handbag by Hermès.
Birkin was born in London but relocated to France in the 1970s, where she rose to prominence singing in French.
“Je t’aime… moi non plus” made Brigitte Bardot famous worldwide.
After meeting on the set of the film Slogan, they recorded the duet in 1968.
Due to its overtly sexual lyrics, it was prohibited on the radio in several countries and condemned by the Vatican. But it introduced the duo to a new international audience.
French President Emmanuel Macron referred to Jane Birkin as a “French icon” and a “complete artist” who “bequeathed us songs and images that will never be forgotten.
Prime Minister of France Elisabeth Borne stated that she “transcends generations.”
Gainsbourg, who was 18 years older than Birkin, continued to write tunes for her years after their breakup. During their 12-year relationship, Birkin and Gainsbourg were married.
The couple had a daughter, award-winning actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Their relationship has been described as “tumultuous” on numerous occasions, and in her 2020 diaries, Birkin wrote about violence between them as well as Gainsbourg’s intoxication.
But she frequently defended the man she became so closely associated with, including in a 2020 Times interview in response to claims by a vocalist that he was a “harasser,” and she continued to promote his work long after he died in 1991.
Last year, when asked by the same newspaper about their lifestyle, she responded, “I don’t know how simple it was for the children to have a mother who appeared naked in magazines and a father who burned 500 franc notes. I pray some things were done correctly.”
In 1981, the couple separated, and Birkin continued her acting and singing career, publishing albums such as Baby Alone in Babylone in 1983 and Amour des Feintes in 1990.
She was a model and fashion trendsetter who inspired Hermès to create the Birkin purse in 1984.
Birkin accidently dumped her bag on an Air France aircraft next to Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas.
Dumas “immediately sketched a soft and spacious rectangular holdall with a burnished flap and saddle stitching” after lamenting the dearth of large bags on the market, particularly for mothers, according to the Hermès website.
Thus, the Birkin was created. Some models of this exclusive handbag cost tens of thousands of dollars and have months-to-years-long waiting lists.
The design became a fashion phenomenon and spawned numerous imitations, but in 2006, Birkin told, “I love it, but I carry so much in it that I believe it is a contributing factor to my tendonitis.”
Birkin supported various causes, including asking Hermès to remove her name from things in 2015 due to animal welfare concerns.
Before relocating to France and meeting Gainsbourg, Birkin was married until the late 1960s to the British composer John Barry.
Their daughter, fashion photographer, and Vogue employee Kate Barry, died in 2013 at the age of 46.
Birkin’s third daughter, Lou Doillon, is a musician, model, and actor.
Films starring Birkin include the 1966 classic Blow Up, 1978’s Death on the Nile, and 1982’s Evil Under the Sun.
Arabesque was her 2002 self-written album, while Jane at the Palace was her 2009 live CD.
On Twitter, British ambassador to France Menna Rawlings called her “the most French of British artists.”
She missed an American film festival due to a stroke in September 2021 and late 1990s leukaemia.
