The viral Birkin bag stunt is peak Uncommon
Uncommon's recent Birkin Bag stunt will delight (and frustrate) fans, transforming a humble claw machine into a biting commentary on unattainable luxury and the relentless hustle of city life.
Uncommon Creative Studio, founded in 2017 by Nils Leonard, Lucy Jameson, and Natalie Graeme, has had a rapid rise to fame through its mission to create work that demands a reaction. And, at Creative Moment, we’re often happy to oblige.
Its recent work, a controversial installation in New York, typifies the Uncommon approach: notably in this case through a stunt devised and commissioned by the company itself.
Drawing from its roots as a ‘shop’ focused on brands and creativity rather than conventional advertising, Uncommon's ethos emphasises cultural relevance, independence, and using its influence to address global challenges. With that in mind, its recent stunt can be viewed as an Uncommon advert for Uncommon.
Birkin mad
The installation in question was located amid the glitz and glamour of New York Fashion Week in SoHo, transforming a humble claw machine into a biting commentary on unattainable luxury and the relentless hustle of city life.
Titled "PAIN," the stunt features a single, authentic Hermès Birkin bag dangling as the ultimate prize, but one that's deliberately impossible to win, symbolising how success in New York often feels just out of reach.
The installation, which kicked off on September 13-14, invites hundreds of pedestrians to take a shot at the claw game outside Uncommon's studio in the heart of SoHo. However, as the studio's creators have openly admitted, the game is "completely and utterly rigged" ensuring the Birkin (the ultimate status symbol for exorbitant wealth) remains forever elusive.
Our take
Given that this Uncommon installation is essentially a piece of art, therefore open to subjective analysis, it’s more than possible I’m missing the point here. Or maybe the intent is simply to provoke discussion.
Whether you’re a devout capitalist or an ardent communist, there’s a growing consensus that the cost of living is rising, and accessibility to wealth is decreasing. This stunt then certainly echoes the frustrations of the many.
What it doesn’t answer neatly, however, is the question of whether one should strive for a Birkin bag in the first place!
Are those who decide to earnestly partake in the stunt the unwitting target of Uncommon’s parody? Is it on them to come to terms with the inherent ‘inessential’ nature of the bag, and find a life purpose that excludes it, or is the purpose of the stunt to point out that excess materiality is inherent in human nature, and people will always take up the challenge, even if they know it’s impossible?
Either way, Uncommon’s stunt is well executed, and (whatever else it implies), it certainly demonstrates the power of the creative medium to entice, delight and surprise.
As Uncommon states on its LinkedIn post, "One priceless handbag you have zero chances of winning. Come suffer". And maybe there is something in that suffering—a reference to human nature, and perhaps even a reference to insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same result? Perhaps a nod to why some crave a status symbol and punish themselves when unable to achieve it?
Or, maybe, it is just a great stunt.
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