Walmès? Shoppers can't stop talking about the $78 Walmart bag that resembles a $10,000 Hermès Birkin.
Walmart; Tyler Le/BI
- Walmart has been offering a Birkin handbag dupe for under $100, sparking TikTok buzz.
- The Hermès Birkin, a luxury status symbol, starts at around $10,000 for the real thing.
- The "Walmart Birkin" raises questions about the accessibility and legality of similar-looking bags.
Attention, Walmart shoppers: You can own a lookalike of one of the most exclusive handbags in the world — and for less than $100.
The Hermès Birkin is coveted by many luxury shoppers, and the handmade bags start at around $10,000. The hefty price tag means it's available only to customers who have up to six figures to spare for a handbag (and who are savvy enough to get themselves in the queue).
However, TikTok is ablaze with users sharing a more affordable bag that looks like the Birkin and which is available for purchase online from Walmart.
The bags have been dubbed "Walmart Birkins" or "Wirkins," and they're providing shoppers with the look of luxury at a fraction of the cost. People have been calling the bag a dupe, a term used to describe an item that's similar in appearance to a more expensive product.
Their popularity has also opened up a larger conversation around access to styles that wealthy people are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to own.
On Thursday, TikToker Jessi My posted a video of her holding what looked like two Hermès Birkin bags. In the caption, My used the tags "#walmartbirkin" and "#walmart." Her video had eight million views as of Monday morning and thousands of comments from users praising how similar to the Birkin the "Walmès" bags look.
My said she purchased it on the same day she came across a video by a creator named Imani. In the video, Imani shows off a Birkin lookalike inside a Walmart store. Since her purchase, My told Business Insider that she uses her "Walmès" bags for travel, work, and trips to the grocery store.
"When I received it and saw how great the bag was, I figured others needed to hear about it," My said.
The Birkin bag is a status symbol for the wealthy, and has extensive waitlists and a tricky buying process. Walmart customers can skip the line and purchase a "Wirkin" for $78 from third-party sellers. However, some have questioned how legal it is to sell bags that look extremely similar to the Birkin. As an analysis by The Fashion Law notes, the appearance of Hermès Birkin is protected under trademark laws.
However, Hermès' argument could hinge on it being able to prove that customers could easily mistake a fake for the real thing.
Dasein, the listed seller of one of the Birkin lookalikes, did not immediately respond to a request for comment by BI. Hermès and Walmart also didn't immediately respond. Many of the bags are described as "genuine leather" in Dasein's listings.
Hermès' Birkin and Kelly bags are among the most likely luxury bags to be faked, Hunter Thompson, director of authentication and brand compliance at secondhand luxury retailer The RealReal, previously told BI.
The bags are selling out on Walmart's website — making the cheaper option more difficult to own. Meanwhile, the retailer has real pre-owned Birkins on its website retailing for over $24,000.
Although customers are getting the appearance of luxury, fashion experts say there are clear signs to tell a fake Birkin from a real one.
The zipper design and placement, the undertones of its iconic gold stamp, and even the smell are ways an authenticator can tell your purse is authentic, vintage expert Koyaana Redstar previously told BI.
Correction: December 30, 2024 — An earlier version of the story incorrectly described the Walmart-sold bags as counterfeit.