Walmart’s Birkin Bag Controversy Pushes Back on Luxury

Walmart has started selling an $80 version of the famous Hermès “Birkin” bag via 3rd party manufacturer Kamugo, generating frenzied controversy on social media.

Authentic Birkin bags have an entry price of $10,000 and can be sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Birkins are often an appreciating asset thanks to their collectability, where the market value for scarce Birkins keeps going up year after year.

The bag that’s being sold on Walmart’s website is not officially named as a Birkin bag, but many people are identifying this as essentially a ripoff and calling it a “Wirkin.”

The full story behind this still confuses me. There are way too many unanswered questions right now about how deliberately Walmart is doing this when they know it opens them up to litigation from Hermès.

The response on social media feels like unhinged social commentary. People are showing off their “Wirkins” on TikTok as a counter-cultural statement.

We’re living in an era of raw authenticity. You would be shamed for showcasing knockoff luxury goods on Instagram, but instead you’re celebrated for doing this on TikTok.

Luxury fashion comes in waves and there is greater demand today for accessible luxury. After a few years of frenzied fashion resale, tough economic conditions and cultural sentiment is pushing back on opulent luxury items that seem so blatantly overpriced.

Part of me feels like Walmart started selling these “Wirkins” on purpose, fully aware of the controversy they’d generate. They’re too smart of a company to be doing this innocuously.

Putting aside potential legal backlash, this helps shift Walmart’s brand perception to higher socioeconomic demographics, which is a key business priority for them.

The world’s biggest retailer has started selling dupe versions of the world’s most expensive handbag. Walmart has repackaged exclusivity into something accessible for the mass market.

That has resonated with consumers who are looking into 2025 as an opportunity to rethink the value they place on luxury products.

Originally published at https://venndiagrams.substack.com on January 3, 2025.