Between Walmart and the Birkin

an internet debate about capitalism, luxury goods, and why we desire what we desire

Am I the only one who didn’t know that Walmart sells actual Birkin bags? Last weekend I was pulled into WalmartBirkinTok. Other than knowing that the Birkin by Hermes is one of the most expensive purses in the market, and that Walmart is usually, ehem….not known for that…the whole conversation was new to me. And wow are there a lot of seething posts, replies, and stitches.

On my way down the rabbit hole about the $78 Walmart Birkin (or “Wirkin” as the internet has so eloquently dubbed it) I learned that Walmart actually sells pre-owned Hermes Birkins? And while the supposed environmental impact of reselling is a positive, it is still Walmart and riddled with its own economic and ethical conundrums. I digress—

The gist of this viral moment is that there are people who love the idea of a “Walmart Birkin” and can’t wait to get their hands on one, and there are people who think it is uncouth to don one and possibly “trick” onlookers into thinking it the real deal.

I have to caveat this whole exploration by admitting that I don’t have a dog in this fight. I think that if everyone buys and wears what they want, ideally with an eye towards moderation and environmental impact, and we would all be golden.

We contain multitudes and can be interested in the different sides of the issue, without taking one or disparaging someone who does.

But I also believe in the power of dialogue, conversation, and understanding the many nuances of a topic in order to find higher or collective truth. I’m a fan of cultural critique and excavating the feelings and ideas that make up our shared reality. We contain multitudes and can be interested in the different sides of an issue, without aligning with a side or disparaging someone who does.

I cannot stress enough —no one should be made to feel bad or less than for whatever side of this debate they are on. And I also I believe that both sides could use a bit of dissecting and reflecting

Okay okay, so why is this interesting?

Consumer behavior, trends, and the fluctuation of demand for products is a fascinating subject area. I find the conversation about why people want luxury goods—specifically purses—and why there are thriving markets for secondhand bags and dupes alike, a compelling one.

As someone who has recently indulged in a few luxury markets, I can admit that my indulgence is a messy combination of three things:

1. Appreciating the style/beauty of a thing i..e genuinely liking how it looks

2. Respecting the craftmanship that accompanies a certain price range

3. Participating in a society that recognizes value in high-quality goods, and rewards the owner with attention and affinity—i.e. I like being part of an in-group that falls into the first 2 buckets and can perceive me similarly.

Indeed it appears that I both like the thing and how the thing makes me feel or be perceived.

As we consider both the psychological (individual) and sociological (collective) forces at play in this discussion, I keep coming back to the questions: how is what we want, wear, or choose to purchase, connected to what we think those things signal to other people? Does that potential signal influence our desire for the thing in the first place? Moreover, can reflecting on this question help us become more mindful and conscious consumers?

If I could talk to a Pro-Walmes Birkin stan I would ask:

If you like the Walmart bag outright, you should buy it! If you like the original Birkin but don’t feel like shelling out $20K for it, and you like the Walmart dupe enough, add to cart my girl. With that, I’d be curious to know more about why people like the bag.

If you like it for the shape/how it looks, why call it a Birkin? Isn’t it just a nice leather bag that Walmart sells? What is the need to connect the dupe to the original, if it is indeed just because you like the bag? I would be surprised if even the Wirkin-stans would try claiming the bags are authentic Birkins, so why use that labeling?

Connecting it to the original implies that there is something about the name, that is part of the attraction to it or part of the desire to own it

In which case, do you like the name, and why?

• Is buying the dupe intended to present like it is the original? To outwardly present as someone with a real Birkin? Or simply as someone with a nice bag that they personally like?

• If the dupe-nature is what you’re after, can I probe—what is the feeling you’re chasing?

  • Is it that others think your bag is something expensive, that others think you can afford a $20K bag?

I assume that people have a general preference for truth, and not falsely claiming dupes as authentic. So, while it is understandable to desire the in-group affiliation, I am less inclined to understand wanting to deceive your way in.

If it being a dupe is not what you’re after, and it really is just about the bag, then cool! I just wonder what all the hullabaloo is about needing to call it a Walmart Birkin and shooting off hours of tiktoks and comments saying “I can’t wait to devalue the Birkin” or “I can’t wait for a woman to get asked: is that from Walmart?”

Why put down the very brand you’re chasing the dupe of?

If I could talk to a Birkin-purist I would ask:

So, there is a market for bags that look like the Hermes Birkin bag. This isn’t new—counterfeits and dupes have been in the mainstream since the 1980s, only increasing in popularity as the quality of knock-offs has improved.

Is the problem that we’re talking about this bag, the one-and-only, creme de la creme, and you can’t stand the idea of someone walking around with a bag that looks like a bag with a rich history and that garners status and attention?

I can empathize with the legal argument—that the Wirkin may cross the bounds of intellectual property and copyright —but I assume Hermes attorneys are better equipped to litigate those issues than an enclave of TikTok fashion creators. However, if the vitriol is aimed at the desire to own a bag that looks like an iconic piece of fashion history because the price of the original is prohibitive, your argument would mean that people should never hang prints of art pieces because they don’t have the original, no?

Should people claim they have an original Rothko if they don’t, in fact, do? No, not unless that want to be considered an odd bird. But can someone purchase a beautiful print for their living room without committing an offensive crime to the Art world? I’d like to think so!

Moreover, I would ask them whether there is something they feel like they are protecting, by disparaging the Wirkin? Is there some kind of unofficial luxury good integrity that shouldn’t be tainted?

Or perhaps an elite club of people who either own the bag, or maintain a cult-like reverence for it that must be upheld?

If the answer to those questions is that no, you aren’t protecting something—what is the big deal? You would never in a million years wear a fake Birkin bag? Fabulous, you do you boo.

But it quite literally doesn’t impact you in any way if other people choose to. Where is all of the sass being directed at people who would buy a Wirkin, coming from? What is the nuanced take i’m missing here?

No answers, only more questions

As you read, watch, and listen to this trending hashtag, you start to suss out that the two sides are talking passed one another. In an ideal discussion, both sides are responding to the provocation posed by the other; however in this case, both sides are almost yelling into the internet void without stopping to listen to whether they actually disagree with what the other side is saying.

Birkin-stans are responding to the question: “is the Walmart Birkin a real Birkin—and moreover, would you wear one?” with an unequivocal and resounding no! A position which they are entitled to take.

But I haven’t actually seen a Wirkin-fan ask this question or really care about a purist’s answer. They are more concerned with the claim that the Wirkin shouldn’t exist at all, and that anyone who wants one is committing an unforgivable faux-pas. If someone decides they want to shell out for the Wirkin, I hope most reasonable people (Birkin-purists included) would agree they are within their right to do so—as is a person who wants to pay $15,000 for a Birkin.

In the end, this is a debate without a clear win or lose, black or white, resolution. We’re likely to see many Wirkin unboxings and snarky stitches in response. And of course, I will stop to watch a good portion of them for any new nuggets of dialectical insight. It’s the never-ending supply of droll and quick-witted banter on the internet that does it for me, especially when cute handbags are involved.

**Cover image borrowed from the US Import Bond**