They’re “Wirkin” their fake Birkins. Fashionistas are clamoring to get their hands on a “Walmart Birkin,” also known as a “Wirkin,” after discovering that the budget-friendly retailer hawks purses seemingly inspired by the costly Hermès handbags. Authentic Birkin bags — beloved by A-listers and exceedingly difficult to come by — cost a pretty penny, with prices estimated to range from $9,000 at a Hermès boutique to upwards of hundreds of thousands for resale and auctioned pieces .
At Walmart, a convincing dupe will cost you less than $100. “[For] $80, you can pretend that you got a Birkin,” one content creator named Kristi said in a viral video posted this month, in which she touted her new, emerald-hued handbag. “I mean, everybody’s gonna probably know it’s not, because who the hell has money to spend on a real Birkin?” On the website for Walmart, cheekily nicknamed “Walmès,” multiple versions of the “Wirkin” are available.
One style rings in at $78 to $102 depending on the size, but has become so popular that it is sold out online — and has sparked an online debate . TikTokkers have flocked to the chain retailer to snag one — or multiple — of the now-viral handbags, with hundreds of unboxing and haul videos posted under the tag “ #walmartbirkin .” Meanwhile, critics of the seemingly unattainable handbag are celebrating what they believe to be the downfall of the ultra-wealthy status symbol.
One creator praised the Walmar.
