Do you remember Walmart’s “Birkin,” affectionately nicknamed the Wirkin, born as an unintentional tribute to American creativity and a certain impatience with Hermès’ legendary waiting lists? Well, guess what: it’s back shinier than ever ready to parade alongside chrome pickup trucks and XXL burgers.

The Wirkin is basically the ultimate symbol of the American paradox in pure “Trumps-style”: They don’t like the Chinese… but oh boy, do they love Chinese counterfeits! A real patriotic-pragmatic dilemma: support local industry, or grab a $89.99 fake Birkin that looks legit from three meters away? The choice is obvious especially when you want to impress the in-laws at the Sunday barbecue.

On social media, the Wirkin has become a superstar. Videos are everywhere:

“Real or Fake?” people ask, as if this were a reality TV show sponsored by mainland China. Influencers even test the bags by banging them against SUVs, as if shock resistance were the first criterion of luxury. Bethenny Frankel turned herself into the official referee of real vs. fake, collecting hundreds of thousands of likes along with a few cold sweats among Hermès’ legal team.

And let’s be honest: the fake has its charms.

A real Birkin costs between $20,000 and $35,000… the equivalent of three months’ worth of pickup truck gas, or one VIP seat at a political rally. So why resist? Especially when the vegan leather perfectly imitates the grain of the real thing, and that shiny little lock an unapologetic copy of the iconic charm sparkles almost as brightly as a post-whitening smile.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the universe, Jean-Louis Dumas must be doing cartwheels in his grave as his masterpiece becomes the involuntary muse of mass commerce:

Millions of Wirkins, all identical, all “almost Hermès,” rolling through fluorescent aisles, ready to be dropped into a shopping cart between a pack of socks and a jumbo jar of pickles.

The irony?

A bag designed for a refined French actress is now the icon of a culture that hates counterfeits… except when they’re convenient, cheap, and delivered in 24 hours. America, baby. Where the dream is real even when the bag isn’t.

FM