Jane Birkin's original handbag, conceived after a chance encounter, has become one of the world's most coveted fashion accessories.

The original Hermès Birkin bag, which acted as the blueprint for what would become one of the most desirable celebrity status symbols in the world, will go under the hammer in Paris next month.

The OG Birkin was created for its namesake in 1984, following a run-in on an Air France flight with former Hermès CEO Jean-Louis Dumas. The singer and actor explained her preference for large bags to the businessman (at the time she famously used a wicker bag to store her essentials) who created a prototype for Birkin shortly after the encounter.