The iconic moment that signified one of the first times the girls on SATC were not able get what they want was also the moment that sent the world aflame over the exclusivity and desirability of the bag. In the show the 35cm Rouge Vif Clemence leather Birkin with Gold hardware was quoted at $4000 in 2001. Today the bag retails around $12,000 in the United States with tax. A 200% increase in 11 years, the retail price increases from around 8% to 14% each year on average with the lowest year between 1980 and 2015 being 2.1% and prices for the same bag differ depending on state, country, and region. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, $100 in June 2022 is equal to $59.90 in August 2001 when the “Birkin” episode of Sex and the City was aired. The dollar had an average inflation rate of 2.06% per year between 2001 and 2019, producing a cumulative price increase of 30.73%.

The Hermès Birkin bag has outperformed, at a yearly average the S&P 500, gold, and the real estate market since 1980. So why are the masses not purchasing Birkin bags or the single-handled counterpart the Hermès Kelly? There has always been a stigma for men to not involve themselves in matters deemed exclusively for women or the LGBTQ+ community. Studies have shown that both men and women are less likely to invest in Female-led IPO’s and invest less money on average in companies tailored to women (L’Oréal, Vera Wang). Men are also less likely to invest in a piece that they couldn’t see themselves wearing, e.g., a Rolex watch can be worn by any person, but Insider Magazine drew data from 8,000 Rolex customers and determined that the average Rolex wearer is a 68-year-old male, a two to one demographic of men to women, and 66% being over the age 65. A Stainless-Steel Rolex Explorer I increased in price by 28% between 2008 and 2018, a 2.8% yearly increase and adjusted for inflation it comes to a 10% increase in 10 years.