Walmart's $78 Birkin Dupe Is Causing Huge Debates on the Internet — Meet the 'Wirkin'

Walmart's 'Wirkin' bag, a dupe of the Hermès super-luxe and exclusive Birkin bag, is causing a stir online as influencers and social media users debate ethics behind the product

Walmart.com; Getty Walmart Wirkin (left) red Hermés Birkin (right)

Walmart.com; Getty

Walmart Wirkin (left) red Hermés Birkin (right)

Dupe hunters, rejoice! Walmart has entered the luxury bag chat.

The retail giant's budget-friendly duplicate of the Hermès' Birkin — humorously nicknamed the Walmès Wirkin — had influencers and consumers desperately trying to get their hands on the $79 piece. The sold-out handbag, which Walmart describes on its website as a leather shoulder bag, was offered in 12 colors including orange, dark blue, pink, light blue, dark khaki and dark sky gray.

As the piece gained popularity and went viral, influencers like TikToker @lastinglooks noticed that another version of the bag was available, for more than double the price of Walmart's original at $198.88. Other renditions like KAMUGO's handbag, also sold out, retails at $102.

(The bags are not only sold out but are now not appearing on Walmart's website.)

"We are not looking for a $200 price point," the social media user said of the price boost, adding that she's already seen the purse on resale websites.

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Still, TikTok star @jessi.my snagged two Wirkins, one sized at 30 and one at 35, and raved about both sizes.

Meanwhile, @wildunfiltered called out the lookalike as she held up her own handbag, one she said was a real Birkin.

She made it clear that Walmart's product "is not a Birkin ... it is not made by Hermés. It is no affiliation to Hermés or the Birkin. It is a duplicate, a copy, an 'inspired-by piece. It is not the Birkin.'"

"Please don't think that you're buying a Birkin, because you're not," she quipped.

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Still, influencers like Dillon Reeds happily showed off his Walmart bag, dubbing it an item for the "Wirkin class" while Erica Stowlman Dowdy called it "one of the best things of 2024."

Walmart did not immediately reply to PEOPLE's request for comment.

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Brand-new authentic Birkin bags are hard to come by and have price tags in the thousands. The handbag was inspired by the late Jane Birkin and created by then-Hermès chairman Jean-Louis Dumas in 1984.

In an interview with Vogue in 2012, Birkin (who died in 2023) recalled the chance encounter with Dumas in 1981 that resulted in the bag's creation. During an Air France flight to London, Birkin was seated next to the French businessman. After the contents of her bag fell out, Dumas commented that she should "have one with pockets."

"'I said, ‘The day Hermès makes one with pockets I will have that,'" Birkin shared.

She said that she then suggested Hermès make a handbag that's "bigger than the Kelly but smaller than Serge’s suitcase," to which Dumas replied, “Well, what would it be like?” Birkin went on to explain her vision, sketching it out on a barf bag. The design was transformed into the Birkin we know today.

The handbag has become a status symbol among A-listers. Earlier this year, Kim Kardashian caused a frenzy online for casually placing her $50K+ handbag on the floor at a basketball game, while Cardi B showed off her six-figure collection. In a Dec. 4 episode of Vogue’s “What’s in my Bag” series, Dua Lipa shared the contents of her Birkin 35 bag.

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