Social media has propelled a new it bag into stardom that costs a fraction of the price that designer brands charge. Walmart’s new $80 handbag bears striking resemblance to the iconic and exclusive Hermès Birkin bag—and it is dividing the internet.
The “Wirkin” is a Walmart bag that resembles the luxury Hermès Birkin bag, selling for around $60-80. Videos tagged #WalmartBirkin went viral on TikTok as soon as the bag was released in November 2024, with unboxings garnering millions of views. For example, the unboxing of a green Wirkin by @styledbykristi clocked in at 8.7 million views and counting. The original Hermès Birkin has long been a fashion unicorn for its five-figure starting price, craftsmanship, and aura of unattainability—making it the status symbol it is today. Despite the infringement on the Hermès design, the designer brand has not pursued legal action against Walmart.
But some who have purchased the dupe have praised the Walmart bag’s quality. Handbag experts have found disparities between the Birkin and the Wirkin, but many commentators in online forums have pointed out that these are not noticeable details to the average person or that this doesn’t disqualify the Wirkin from having great quality at a low price.
Senior Sofia Hersh, who is majoring in fashion business next year, weighed in on why she thinks the Walmart Birkin became such an internet sensation.
“The Wirkin is a really interesting mix of accessibility and irony—a bag that you have to almost build a real relationship with a sales associate for, is suddenly on sale for 20 dollars at Walmart,” Hersh said. “I think there has been a recent explosion online of ‘dupes’ or more affordable versions of high end products, and this is a more extreme version of that trend.”
Research from Indiana University Bloomington has spotlighted how knock-offs are a three-part problem in fashion. Cheap replicas exploit designers by taking ideas and profiting off of them, they affect garment workers by driving down the price of goods, and because the clothes are much cheaper, they are most likely fast-fashion, and thus, not ethically sourced.
Senior Keefer Bowen, voted Poolesville’s most stylish senior in this year’s senior superlative vote, gave his style advice for how to build a more sustainable wardrobe.
“I would start off going thrifting,” Bowen said. “Also I would shop at places like Depop where you can find good pieces for cheap.”
The Walmart Birkin has since sold out on Walmart’s website, but hundreds of designer handbags and knock-offs of trendy products remain available for sale on Amazon and other online retailers.
