The rise of fauxthentic fashion: why TikTok loves the Wirkin bag
It’s the most coveted bag in the world. Hermès makes it. Walmart sells the knockoff. TikTok made it famous.
Image by Getty
It’s the most coveted bag in the world. Hermès makes it. Walmart sells the knockoff. TikTok made it famous.
It’s well-known by now that there’s an aspirational tug-of-war going on with supply and demand for fast fashion products.
As previously shown before Christmas with the UGG craze, which has since died down, there are bursts of fierce longing for fast fashion products that ride the wave of the robust and glorious TikTok algorithm.
The latest trend taking over social media is the Walmart Birkin, also known as the “Wirkin,” which is essentially an $80 knockoff version of the Hermès Birkin, which can sell for anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000 for rare diamond-encrusted Himalayan versions.
The Walmart “Wirkin” comes in a range of colors and has sold out in most cases due to unprecedented demand.
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The Hermès original Birkin takes an average of 40 hours to handcraft. Now, this much cheaper Walmart version allows digital aspirers to tap into this luxury craving, leading to an upsurge in popularity.
Wannabe luxe
This “fauxthenticity” has seen a bulging digital yearning for upward mobility. The $80 Walmart purses are currently sold out in almost every color, but green Vert Anglais (a classic dark green) is the most desirable.
The pick of the bunch of the TikTok comments so far is, “The Walmart Birkin bag is called a Wirkin and it’s for the Wirkin class,” one user wrote.
Another YouTuber, Amelia Rose, proclaimed that she was “raged” that Walmart doesn't have branches in the UK and Ireland and that she was “raged” again that she couldn’t get her bag in orange. Clearly a big fan of bright colors.
Interestingly, she is also the owner of a Hermès original bag, so she’s in quite a privileged position to compare. She points out that as a consumer, you simply don’t have to give your money to the elite, making her a proponent of this counterculture.
In this digital world, does owning the real thing actually matter anymore? When video creators blur the lines between homage and parody in meme culture, owning a dupe bag no longer makes you a laughing stock.
In fact, it might turn out to be the Hermès owners whose bag ironically gets mistaken for a Walmart version.
Luxury or lookalike? What sets the bags apart
TikTokker bethennyfrankel also intricately reviewed the different elements of the bags.There are notable differences, such as a higher handle, inconsistent stitching, and a much cheaper key and lock, but the interior remains very similar.
@bethennyfrankel Final rating on the FIRKIN: C Overall takeaway is to find ORIGINAL affordable bags vs a cheap copy @Walmart #hermes #hermesbirkin #birkin #firkin #wirkin #handbag #handbaguniversity #walmart #luxurygoods #lordswork #walmartbirkin #bagreview ♬ original sound - Bethenny Frankel
The influencer does, however, point to the needless desire for a cheap Birkin knockoff when there are plenty of alternative bags available. This is a rare example of guided consumerism on TikTok that’s not following the strong gust of algorithmic hype.
Still, the pretentiousness created by scarcity and exclusivity from Hermès fuels TikTokers' desire to barge down the barricade. When Amelia Rose on YouTube documents being on a waiting list of over four years for a handbag, it in turn spawns a burgeoning counterculture.
It’s the wanting, the waiting, the anticipation. Waiting for an original Birkin is on another level compared to the UGG Lowmel in sand with waiting times measured between leap years. Two Olympic Games have passed since Amelia Rose applied to own one.
TikTok remix culture: where consumerism gets a makeover
TikTok's remix culture offers more accessibility to the aesthetic that you might be seeking. But when everything sells out after influencers ride the crest of a viral wave, there’s a fine line between playful consumerism and primal greed. If the bags were easily available, whether cheap or expensive, would they be as desirable?
From Hermès’ perspective, the question remains whether or not they will take legal action against the manufacturer of such items.
Some legal experts believe that Hermès may take an aggressive approach against such a lowly supplier, as their Birkin bag may have been diluted and devalued due to Walmart's unofficial, though legal, reproductions.
The company has a history of vigorously defending its products, but it might need time to strategize such a move as the viral trend shows no sign of abating currently.