The Hermès Birkin has once again inspired another take on the iconic design.
The “Boatkin” is the latest creation from Philadelphia-based brand Hathaway Hutton, which has previously sold similar custom pieces, such as hand-painted Goyard totes. The Boatkin follows the style of Hermès’ famous Birkin, but takes on vintage boats and totes from LL Bean, resulting in the ultimate nod to high-low fashion.
Jen Risk, the brand’s founder, described the collaboration as “low-key luxury with a hint of a smile” in a May 30 interview with The New York Times. “I wanted to break up the seriousness of it all and give it some personality,” she continued.
Risk offers Boatkins made from Boat and customer-supplied handbags starting at around $1,200. Bags made from Risk-sourced materials start at $1,600. Since launching the Boatkins, she has sold more than 300 of them, according to The New York Times.
“Most people love it, which is really fun,” she told the outlet about the response to the bags, adding that “a few people were weirdly pissed off about the price.”
Hathaway Hutton’s website jokes that the Boatkin is a “super fun, super niche, super practical tote that you can pour a whole cup of nitro cold brew into without feeling the slightest bit of guilt.”
Each item is hand-cut and hand-sewn to minimize waste. “Every inch of fabric and canvas from the original tote was used (actually… only about two square inches of scraps were left),” the site describes.
The brand also issued a disclaimer about possible differences between Boatkins bags, urging customers to “understand that they were used and abused by people who loved them before I sent them to the chopping block to give them new life.”
“While I clean my canvas very well (like… with a pressure washer), you may still see stains from water, dust, pens, dogs, life, etc,” Risk warned. “Some canvas bags have writing on the front or back (like our Boatkin, which has #21 written on the back in marker). Each canvas bag is unique and one-of-a-kind. No two are exactly alike!”
Customers should wait six months for delivery, the website states.
The Birkin bag was inspired by the late Jane Birkin and was created in 1984 by Jean-Louis Dumas, then chairman of Hermès. With its eye-popping price tags and the habit of waiting in long lines to buy one, the Birkin has become a status symbol for celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Cardi B and Dua Lipa.
The LL Bean boat bag was originally launched in 1944 as the LLBean ice bag. Company founder Leon Leonwood Bean designed the durable bag to transport ice.
According to the LL Bean website, the bag “transcended its utilitarian origins to become a timeless symbol of American style and practicality.” Stars like Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Jessica Parker have been spotted wearing the bag, which retails for about $35 to $55.