The night before I left for Barcelona for a weekend getaway, Malinda said to me, “If you’re going to Barcelona, you have to see Michael Tonello, he wrote Bringing Home the Birkin.” She starts a group chat and 48 hours later, I’m meeting him for a glass of wine at a cozy little spot in the city center.

I knew he’d be interesting, but I wasn’t prepared for just how much our conversation would stick with me.

We meet outside Bodega 8 right at 6 p.m. Michael’s in a cream Thom Browne sweater, a silk scarf tied at the neck, and head-to-toe Respoke (the brand he founded using vintage designer scarves). We sit down, immediately he starts telling me about his life, and I’m hooked.

He tells me about the trip that changed everything—ten days in Barcelona that turned into a full relocation (very similar to the way I ended up moving to Berlin). He went back to the States, packed up his life, and moved. Within days of landing, he was riding around the city on the back of a Vespa with his real estate agent looking at apartments. A few days later, he found his dream apartment. Four months later, he met his life partner. Twenty-six years later, he’s still there. The whole thing felt cosmically timed.

But back then, he didn’t have a visa to work and couldn’t keep living off his savings. So he did what any fashion lover with an internet connection might do—he sold an Hermès scarf he’d only worn once on eBay. It sold instantly. Then he started getting messages: Do you have more? Turns out, Hermès doesn’t repeat prints and there’s a whole world of collectors trying to hunt down specific silk scarf designs. That one scarf turned into a business. Eventually, someone asked if he had any Birkin bags. He didn’t even know what a Birkin was at the time, but he quickly discovered the craze for the most highly sought after bag in the world.

Michael hacked the Hermès system, became one of the first Birkin resellers, and started sourcing bags for clients around the world. Bringing Home the Birkin tells the full story, and it’s just as delicious as it sounds.

After achieving success with reselling Hermès scarves, Michael co-founded Respoke, where he transformed iconic silk scarves into one-of-a-kind pieces, from shoes and jackets to pants and furniture. What truly captivated me about Michael’s journey was the cosmic timing behind it all. After crafting his first pair of espadrilles from an Hermès scarf, he found himself sitting at Ralph’s with Fern Mallis, the creator of New York Fashion Week, when Ralph Lauren himself complimented Michael on his shoes. That moment set everything in motion—Respoke went on to be carried by department stores and now has six boutiques across the U.S.

What isn’t in the book, however, is the story of his final Birkin.

Years after leaving the business, a friend asked Michael to help source a Birkin—for a friend’s wife. Michael agreed, reluctantly. “But I’ll need his measurements,” he said, “and I’ll have to spend some money first.”

He returns to Hermès, buys a few items, and casually asks, “Do you have a Birkin?” The associate checks, then whisks him to the back room. They offer him a black leather 35—a perfect first Birkin. He buys it. The buyer? John Henry, owner of the Red Sox. The same team Michael grew up watching with his dad—also named John Henry. A perfect, full-circle moment. He hasn’t bought a Birkin since.

At this point, I’m literally tearing up, inspired by the serendipity of Michael’s life and how everything fell into place. It’s getting late, and I’m meant to meet my brother and his friends at a nearby discotheque. As we leave the wine bar, Michael says, “Do you have a minute? I want to show you something.”

He walks me a block away to this packed little bar—just a handful of tables, open-air front. We stand at the bar and he orders for us: a plate of fried sardines and two glasses of red vermouth. I bite in and say, “Tell me what this is after I try it.” We’re laughing, eating, sipping, and having such a good time that we end the night at one last bar—I have a blue margarita, he orders a dirty martini, and we end the night sharing film photos we’ve both taken discussing how no matter how much things change, people are still doing the same things.

I always say “life is for living”—to me, that means going for it, even if something feels unlikely or a little scary. If it feels right, do it. My night with Michael was the perfect reminder of how powerful that can be. Following your gut can lead you to moments, and people, you never could’ve planned for.

When I got back to my hotel the next night, there was a package waiting for me. Inside was a cashmere sweater from a brand called Barrie (they’re owned by Chanel but make specialty pieces for Hermès and Thom Browne), and a copy of Burning Down the Haus, a book about how the punk scene helped transform Berlin. Thoughtful, unexpected, and completely unforgettable—just like the night itself.