Fashionistas who’ve long lusted after Hermès exclusive and ultra-expensive Birkin handbag got a pre-holiday treat thanks to Walmart.com. It offered a reasonably close Birkin facsimile bag – dubbed a “Wirkin” on social media for the “working class Birkin” or “Walmart Birkin” – priced around $100, compared to the $10,000 and up for the real thing.

By contrast, Walmart’s Wirkin bag represented an affordable way for everyday shoppers to embrace the Birkin aesthetic. The bags became a viral sensation on TikTok, where users celebrated the design as a playful jab at the inaccessibility of luxury goods.

An inexpensive knockoff of the Birkin bag, an exclusive, extremely sought-after leather handbag by luxury brand Hermès that can sell for more than $400,000 US has launched a rousing debate online about fashion accessibility and copycat ethics.

In previous eras of internet culture, mockery of the rich and famous was usually relegated to far-left forums. But as 2025 begins, ridiculing the rich appears to have gone mainstream.

The viral Walmart ‘Birkin,’ or ‘Wirkin,” sold out in days and is no longer listed on Walmart.com. Here are a few alternatives to structured, elegant handbags at any budget.

Walmart is not trying to convince anybody it's copying the real deal, said Koyaana Redstar, a luxury handbag authenticator.

Chances are that by now you’ve heard about Walmart’s dupe for the highly coveted Birkin bag that has gone viral on social media. As exciting as that is for those longing for a Birkin of their own (without spending over $10,

Including Bottega, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton lookalikes from $18 Late last month, the internet nearly broke over Walmart’s $78 Hermès Birkin duplicate, which social media users quickly dubbed the 'Wirkin' bag.