JaneJane Birkin was born on December 14, 1946 in Marylebone, London. Her voice, sensuality and stage presence inspired the creation of a cult piece
Jane Birkin have a long and successful film and musical career, as were her intense love stories, first with her discoverer, the British filmmaker John Barry and with the French actor, musician and filmmaker, Serge Gainsbourg, of whom She was a muse until the end of her life, despite no longer being a couple. In 1969, she scandalized some and amazed others with the release of the song ‘Je’te Aime… Moi non Plus’, where she is heard, between orgasmic gasps, saying how much she loves her man. Despite censorship in some countries, it was a worldwide success. Jane’s peculiar timbre of voice was well used by Gainsbourg to create an identity of hers around her.
Endowed with striking beauty and enormous stage presence, with haughty British sobriety on par with French elegance and sensuality, the cultures to which she belonged, Jane Birkin was one of the sex symbols of the sixties and the inspiration for a whole generation of fashion and style enthusiasts. She was so adept at wearing, practically, anything she wore, that she inspired the creation of one of the most iconic pieces in the fashion industry.
Jane Birkin. Inspiring a cult piece
In 1980, recently separated from Serge Ginsbourg and romantically linked to French filmmaker Jacques Doillon, Jane Birkin coincided on a routine flight between Paris and London with Jean-Louis Dumas, executive director of Hermès. Upon landing, perhaps at Heathrow, perhaps at Gatwick, Dumas already had complete inspiration for his new creation. In 1984, Hermés launched the fine leather bag, inspired and created for her, the legendary Birkin Bag.
Jane Birkin’s life was not perfect. She experienced the pain of the death of her first-born child, photographer Kate Barry, in 2013. Kate fell out of the window of her London apartment.
After recovering from that grief, she remained active through various philanthropic efforts, in addition to receiving numerous decorations and distinctions in her two homelands, the United Kingdom and France.
Her health was weak in recent years. Jane suffered a stroke and leukemia, causing his death on July 16, 2023 at her home in Paris. She was 76 years old. She is resting in the Montparnassé cemetery.
Jane Birkin passed into immortality, to the Olympus of the muses that inspired generations.
