Walmart’s $78 Hermès Birkin dupe is a hit on TikTok — but fashionistas are divided

Conversations about designer dupes have stirred once again after the release of Walmart’s new viral $80 Birkin-like bag divided fashion aficionados online.

Dubbed the “Wirkin” by many, the faux leather accessory sold out on Walmart’s website shortly after shoppers shared videos of the bag, which resembles the original Hermès design, on TikTok.

The account @styledbykristi drew attention to the discount handbag in a post on December 19, which has now garnered over 7.7 million views.

In the video, Kristi boasted about her $79.99 BESTSPR Platinum Lychee Tote she’d purchased in the shade emerald green that looked similar to the exclusive luxury item that resells for upwards of $28,000.

“She’s so pretty,” Kristi said, tearing off the plastic and removing the gold hardware inside.

“(For) $80, you can pretend that you got a Birkin,” she continued. “I mean everyone will probably know it’s not because who the hell has the money to spend on the real Birkin, not me.”

Content creator Dillion Reeds also posted his own video unboxing “the famous Walmart Birkin,” complimenting the structure and accuracy of the cheap design.

“I mean other than it not having the Hermès logo, it literally has all of the same hardware,” he said. “Y’all this is freaking good.”

Reeds loved the alternative and admitted there was no way he’d ever splurge on the real Hermès accessory “even if he had that kind of money.”

There have been some critics of the alleged imitation, though.

Fashion influencer Jesica Elise thought some of the individuals defending the Wirkin “reflected a feigned ignorance of why we consume what we consume.”

“If there’s any fear, it’s that were too ignorant to save ourselves or our planet,” she said in a December 26 video arguing many buyers may have purchased the dupe just because it went viral and was somewhat affordable instead of considering whether or not they actually liked it.

However, many supporters of Walmart’s cheap alternative admitted they “didn’t care” about any of this and were just pleased they could emulate the lush style without spending so much money on the real thing.

“Like i legitimately love the shape, style, and functionality of the bag. but i don’t care about the name brand or leather enough to give up my down payment on my house for it,” one woman confessed in Elise’s comments section, while another said: “I thought it would be fun to have an obvious knockoff for my laptop instead of the black backpack I have been carrying.”

Former Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel added her two cents on the topic, admitting she found the Walmart Birkin discourse “fascinating.”

“A person who couldn’t afford a Birkin could have gone to Chinatown or bought a bag on the gate, but then they would seem fraudulent,” Frankel said in a December 28 TikTok. “People would call them out.

“Walmart has given them entry,” she continued. “It’s a similar shape. This one is more functional. And you are allowed to do this. You’re not fronting, and you’re not stunting.

“The intellectual property issue is another story we’ll get into, but this is basically the mob storming the castle saying, ‘We’re here too, b****, deal with it. You guys flaunted it and made it seem like we never get to be part of this, and now we get to be part of this fair and square,’” Frankel added. “And the people that are going to be pissed off about are a**holes because they are not interesting people and flexing a bag is the most interesting thing about them.”