PARIS — Sketched out on an air sickness bag, the first Birkin bag that gave birth to fashion’s must-have accessory sold for a record 7 million euros (about $8.2 million) at auction in Paris on Thursday.

The huge amount — which drew gasps and applause from the audience — crushed what auctioneer Sotheby’s had said was the previous record for a handbag. That was $513,040, for a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28.

Now, the original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermès created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is in a new league of its own.

The bidding started at 1 million euros ($1.17 million) and quickly became stratospheric.

The Paris fashion house exclusively commissioned the bag for the London-born star in 1984 — branding it with her initials J.B. on the front flap, below the lock — and delivered the finished one-of-a-kind bag to her the following year, the auction house said. The subsequent commercialized version of Birkin’s bag went on to become one of the world’s most exclusive luxury items, extravagantly priced and with a yearslong waiting list.

The bag was born of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s with the then head of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin recounted in subsequent interviews that the pair got talking after she spilled some of her things on the cabin floor.

Birkin asked Dumas why Hermès didn’t make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit bag the sort of hold-all that she would like. He then had an example made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Hermès asked whether it could commercialize the bag in her name.

“There is no doubt that the Original Birkin bag is a true one-

PARIS — Sketched out on an air sickness bag, the first Birkin bag that gave birth to fashion’s must-have accessory sold for a record 7 million euros (about $8.2 million) at auction in Paris on Thursday.

The huge amount — which drew gasps and applause from the audience — crushed what auctioneer Sotheby’s had said was the previous record for a handbag. That was $513,040, for a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28.

Now, the original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermès created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is in a new league of its own.

The bidding started at 1 million euros ($1.17 million) and quickly became stratospheric.

The Paris fashion house exclusively commissioned the bag for the London-born star in 1984 — branding it with her initials J.B. on the front flap, below the lock — and delivered the finished one-of-a-kind bag to her the following year, the auction house said. The subsequent commercialized version of Birkin’s bag went on to become one of the world’s most exclusive luxury items, extravagantly priced and with a yearslong waiting list.

The bag was born of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s with the then head of Hermès, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin recounted in subsequent interviews that the pair got talking after she spilled some of her things on the cabin floor.

Birkin asked Dumas why Hermès didn’t make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit bag the sort of hold-all that she would like. He then had an example made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Hermès asked whether it could commercialize the bag in her name.

“There is no doubt that the Original Birkin bag is a true one-