Kim Kardashian was handed a marker and a bright red crocodile Hermès Birkin at the NikeSKIMS launch in Shanghai on Monday, and she took a moment before agreeing to sign it. Footage of the exchange has since circulated widely, and it shows Kardashian checking that the fan really wanted her name on the bag itself, not on a photo or a piece of paper.
The encounter took place around the debut of NikeSKIMS's first physical destination in China, a pop-up at HKRI Taikoo Hui that opens to the public on September 29 and is planned to run for several months. According to WWD, Kardashian made an appearance at The Upper House next door, signed the fan's Birkin, and toured the store with her team. Kris Jenner and Khloé Kardashian were also in Shanghai for the launch.
A Chinese super fan of Kim Kardashian asked her to sign her Hermes birkin talk about iconic 👏🔥 pic.twitter.com/mRe8Ma0SCt
— leandre koffi (@leandek15) September 28, 2026
The bag itself is the visual centerpiece. Page Six identified it as a red crocodile Birkin 35 with gold hardware, and the fan asked her to sign in the middle of the front panel with a metallic gold pen. In the footage, Kardashian laughs, says the request feels illegal, and then calls it blasphemous before signing. She later hugged the fan and posed for photographs with him and the bag. Several reports say the fan is a luxury reseller and influencer, and that he said the bag belonged to a friend who admires her.
What the bag is worth is less settled. Some outlets have put it at around $80,000. Page Six pointed instead to a near-identical crocodile Birkin 35 with palladium hardware listed by the reseller Madison Avenue Couture for $44,500. Because exotic-skin Hermès prices depend on size, color, hardware and condition, and no appraisal has been reported, the figure is best treated as an estimate.
En Chine, Kim Kardashian allait refuser de signer le Birkin en crocodile rouge vif d'un fan, connaissant la rareté et la valeur du sac, estimée à plus de 50 000 €. 😭 pic.twitter.com/gxcrASjXBt
— La Twitchance (@LaTwitchance) September 29, 2026
The larger question is what the signature does to the bag. Birkins are typically prized by collectors for pristine condition, so writing on one runs against the usual rules of resale. Others online argue a celebrity signature makes the piece one of a kind. Commenters have offered both views, and some have questioned the bag's authenticity, which is speculation, not something any source has established. Nobody has reported that the bag is for sale or how the owner plans to keep it.
For Kardashian, the moment sits comfortably within a long, well-documented Birkin story. She has publicly shown off crocodile Birkins and, in 2024, listed a peacock blue Porosus crocodile Birkin on her family's Kardashian Kloset site for $49,995, according to Page Six.
The look she wore for the event is worth noting alongside the bag. WWD described her outfit as NikeSKIMS's sculpted satin, and other outlets identify it as a Carob Brown bodysuit from the fall 2026 Edit 01 collection, layered under an oversized tan leather trench coat. The warm brown tones set off the red of the crocodile, which helps explain why the images have traveled so quickly.
