‘Affordable fashion’ is the new status symbol

Step aside Hermes idolaters, Walmart has just stepped on your toes and sensibilities.

If you haven’t heard or seen the news, I just watched a news item that says Walmart has been “laughing all the way to the checkout counter” as loyal customers grabbed every available “Wirkin” bag on site in 2024. At about a hundred dollars a bag, many Walmart shoppers are brandishing their “Wirkins” in the face of the six-figure “Birkin” bags.

Wirkins are made of leather, looked really good and, to the chagrin of Hermes bag owners and lawyers, the look is too close for comfort.

If this is all true, I don’t know what would be more insulting to Birkin bag owners, the fact that their prized possessions now have lookalikes retailing at one percent of the standard Birkin bag that goes from $9,000 to six figures and above? Or the fact that someone has punched a hole in the exclusive-elitist perception attached to ownership and the brand.

Here in Asia, and in the Philippines in particular, we used to buy and wear knockoff clothing, bags, footwear and jewelry. But in recent times, I have seen seniorly well to do friends wearing unbranded bling or very “affordable fashion” accessories bought online, such as watches that are as flashy as Richard Mille.

There are even businessmen I know who intentionally “dress down”  their bling or wear affordable fashion, just to see the look on the face of people who are so brand conscious they need to check out what other people are wearing.

In all honesty, it’s privately hilarious to see the embarrassment of people who start out comparing their bling or their cars then turn to ask, “What car do you drive? What watch is that?” Then you tell them a 12-year-old Montero, a Seiko 5, “the popular watch among security guards” or a five-year-old phone. You simply have to be “comfortable in your own skin.”

After years of putting up with the public display of wealth and materialism, it seems that more and more people have caught on to the idea of putting down the elitist by dressing down to poke fun. Some people may not agree, and even call it mean.

But the measure of wealth was never about making your body or your life a window display. Especially not in a country where thousands if not millions still miss a meal once a day, especially mothers who choose not to eat so the children can. If you do see me wearing a Rolex, know that it’s an heirloom passed on from father to son. Otherwise it’s either a Seiko or a “Mickey” that were both gifts.

Hopefully, what Walmart did will gather steam in stores, local brands and among celebrities who mindlessly allow their faces to be used to promote unnecessary products and lifestyles. If what you promote improves the quality of life, then by all means, do so. But in 2025, can we all try to promote proper nutrition, self-care, healthy lifestyle and DIY and Affordable Fashion, not disposables.

While the Walmart coup is sure to fuel a legal battle, the Birkin obsession is simply one of those “too good to last” things. Such is the history and tale of brands, labels and exclusive “elite” products. After investing in those artificially generated desirable products, somebody or some company either comes up with a better design, more alluring marketing spin or simply reinvents the game. Filipinos used to be fans of Benetton, now we are walking models for Uniqlo.

America was once the over-lord of cars, starting from Henry Ford, fighting off competition from Europe and Japan. They all slugged it out, totally ignoring the Chinese engineers who went to every car show in the world and took notes year after year. Then they got smarter: why come up with an original when you can be the cheap labor for the profit hungry brands.

And true enough, America and Europe went to China, which was only so willing to become the factory of the world. That resulted in factory closures in the US and Europe, job losses all over the world and soon, lost customers who lost their jobs too. Soon the very brands started entering into partnerships with their Chinese factory owners, and then they eventually sold the technology and licenses, settling for royalties with no headaches.

And just like the Birkin versus the Wirkin, we have Chinese badges on vehicles that are, for all intents and purposes, platforms of US and UK brands. While consumers read up on hybrids, experts can tell you that in truth, today’s Chinese vehicles are “half breeds” or the automotive equivalent of mestizos – half European/American, half Chinese.

At the bottom of it all is everyone’s “bottom line.” You won’t see car models if they don’t sell enough but in order to do so, they have to be affordable and that is today’s challenge. We are slowly but surely coming to terms with the fact that, by and large, popularity and myth cannot be generated without affordability.

Whether it’s bags, cars or jewelry, the harsh reality is that no matter how exclusive and refined a product is, nothing lasts forever, not the value and not the trend. Luxury cars and super cars used to be it, until one day speed limits became real and they all ran out of roads to drive on. Investing in bags and jewelry used to be a real thing, then people realized there has to be enough rich people who would buy or trade luxury.

In 2025, make “affordable” your goal and fashion statement.

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