Snobs turning noses up at dupes aren’t right, they’re stupid & getting ripped off – can you even tell which is which?
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As a copy of the iconic Birkin bag takes TikTok by storm, Fashion Editor Clemmie Fieldsend says it’s time fashion snobs stopped looking down their noses at affordable versions of designer buys. BARGAIN US supermarket Walmart became a social media sensation when its dupe of Hermès’ Birkin bag, dubbed the Wirkin, went viral last month.
![[Two orange Birkin-style handbags.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TM-09-01-Bag-dupes_BAG-A-1.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The original version is seen on the arms of every A-lister, from Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss to the Kardashians. But when one lucky customer got her hands on Walmart’s £60 version and shared it on social media, the video clocked up more than nine million views.
![[Kate Moss arriving at Scott's restaurant in London.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/november-16-kate-moss-seen-962400241.jpg?strip=all&w=640)
The clip from influencer @styledbykristi is just one of hundreds showing off the faux leather arm candy that is a double for the real thing, which costs upwards of £10,000. Gushing about her emerald green version, she says: “Eighty dollars (£60), you can pretend that you got a Birkin.
![[Victoria Beckham exiting a car in Paris.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/victoria-beckham-seen-september-23-962400579.jpg?strip=all&w=640)
“I mean, everyone will probably know it’s not, because who the hell has the money to spend on the real Birkin? Not me.”. Me neither. And why bother? I would never spend that on a designer bag (although if someone wants to buy one for me, that’s a different story).
![[Two light brown leather tote bags.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TM-09-01-Bag-dupes_BAG-B-1.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Plus, if I splashed that much, I’d feel I was being ripped off. Take Bottega Veneta. The brand had a facelift in 2018 with a new designer, Daniel Lee, at the helm. He was responsible for their minimal, logo-less woven bags that took the world by storm after being seen carried by celebrities Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Hailey Bieber and Margot Robbie.
![[Two silver woven handbags.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/TM-09-01-Bag-dupes_BAG-C-1.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
