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.

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

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 adding tens of thousands of pre-owned luxury handbags, jewelry and watches to its marketplace through a partnership with resale platform Rebag.

Walmart seems to have been paying close attention to all the hubbub about its so-called "Walmart Birkin" or "Wirkin"—the under-$80 Hermès imitator that skyrocketed to viral fame after it was tracked down by TikTokers this winter.