The $35 “Jelly Firkin” Is Driving $100,000 Hermès Bag Owners Crazy
20:30 20 August, 2026While summer rain pours down over Manhattan, 40-year-old Queens resident Natalie Mileo is perfectly happy to get soaked — even though she’s carrying the season’s hottest it-bag. She used to worry about every drop of water landing on her expensive Chanel and Fendi bags, but her new favorite is made of bright lime-green plastic, the NYP reports.
Meet the Jelly Firkin — an ironic, cheeky take on the legendary Hermès Birkin, made from the same rubber-like material typically used for gym balls. This “evil replica” costs just $35, while an original leather Birkin can sell for as much as $100,000.
Despite owning 10 authentic Hermès bags, Natalie happily carries her plastic version outside the brand’s Madison Avenue boutique. She says people often stop her to ask about it, while owners of genuine Birkins can be furious.
“Some people get angry because they spent a fortune, and here’s this cute, cheap knockoff. But I tell them, relax, it’s a joke. I can take this bag to the pool without worrying about it,” she says with a laugh.
The latest wave of popularity began when K-pop star Kai was spotted carrying a lime-green Jelly Firkin in May. Teenagers across Asia quickly embraced the trend, while Google searches for the bag jumped 5,000% in June. In July, the bags appeared on TikTok Shop in the U.S., and buyers such as 26-year-old Madison Hopkins snapped them up.
“It’s more fun. There’s no snobbery attached to it, and that makes it cooler,” she said.
The Jelly Firkin boom comes as the original Birkin is increasingly losing its reputation as a reliable investment. The resale market is saturated, prices are falling, and many people now view carrying a heavy status symbol as a “humiliating ritual.”
The success of the rubber bags has already caught the attention of the fashion house’s lawyers. In the early 2000s, a similar project called Jelly Kelly was quickly shut down following lawsuits from Hermès.
Fans of the trend now complain that authentic Jelly Firkins have become increasingly difficult to find through TikTok searches. The brand is reportedly moving quickly to combat counterfeits, forcing fashionistas to look for workarounds and source the bags through buyers in France.
The Jelly Firkin’s appeal rests on its playful irreverence, while its growing popularity is also putting pressure on Hermès’ legal and resale position.