Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make a Hand Painted Birkin Dupe
In January 2025, there was a shopping rush to score the Walmart Birkin. It was a similar version to the real Hermes Birkin bag that was faux leather, but looked nice. I bought a similar Birkin dupe from Temu and while it was a very nice bag, it was too plain for me. So, I decided to paint it. Here’s how I made my hand painted Birkin dupe.
My Hand Painted Purse + Outfit
What’s a Birkin?
If you don’t know what all the craze was about with the Walmart Birkin, it’s because the look-a-like bag cost under $100, while a real Birkin by the design house, Hermes, starts at around $10,000.00. Yes, you read that cost correctly.
Prepping a brush with paint
Some Birkins even sell for close to $500,000.00 which is the cost of a nice home. If you buy the faux version (read Rolling Stone’s article about the “Wirkin” that sold out here), you are getting a design that is close to the Hermes without the high price tag nor the waitlist.
My wrapped purse handles
Why Does the Birkin Cost So Much?
Hermes is a high-end design house that produces many items, including the Birkin (introduced in 1984), that are handcrafted. Each Birkin is handmade in France and has signature saddle stitching. If you want a real Birkin, you must put your name on a waitlist.
The completed painted purse
Now, I’m not sure any bag should cost as much as a house, no matter how well-made it is, but it’s the Birkin/Hermes way and those that like the status of carrying that particular bag are their customers and will wait and can probably afford that high cost. No judgement here….just don’t be “the old lady that lived in a PURSE”...lol!
Side view of the purse
Why Did You Paint Your Birkin Dupe?
While I have seen Birkin bags on people’s arms (mostly in areas like Naples, Florida or on any “Housewives” show on Bravo), I’m not sure I’d feel safe carrying around something so expensive on my own arm in public. The Hermes Birkin is beautiful, however my Birkin dupe was pretty plain in the black color I ordered, so to solve some of these concerns, I painted mine.
The back of the Birkin dupe
Inspiration from the Artist, Anca Barbu
I saw a Miami based artist, Anca Barbu’s, painted purses and loved them. If you want a similar bag to mine but don’t want to make one, consider purchasing one of Anca’s. See her collection available for purchase on her website here. If I didn’t already have the faux Birkin, I would have considered purchasing one of her bags, as they are tiny works of fun art!
I painted the bag strap details too
I borrowed some of her ideas as inspiration for my own and will probably paint on more fashion items in the near future as it’s a great way to get a UNIQUE item that NO ONE ELSE HAS. Even many Birkin’s all look the same, so I’d paint mine too if I had one just to jazz it up and make it even more special.
The finished faux Birkin
My Splatter Painted Shorts
I used my Jackson Pollock splatter painted jean shorts as inspiration for splatter painting the purse. See my neon jean cutoff shorts tutorial here on my website or in my 1-minute video via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden below:
The Tutorial + Discount
Now for the tutorial. Here’s what you need if you want to paint your own VEGAN purse. I said VEGAN because my bag is not real leather. If you paint a real leather bag, you should use leather paints to make it last longer. If you shop Temu, use my link here or my code afe55197 to get 30% off if you are a new app user.
A close look at the painted purse details
Now for the tutorial. Here’s what you need:
Vegan leather purse/bag (Vegan means it’s fake leather, but looks similar, get a similar version of my bag on Temu, Walmart or Amazon or search online for “lady’s satchel purse” or Birkin dupe)
DecoArt Americana Black Light Neon Acrylic Paint Pack (I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but you can get it on Amazon or Walmart and as I said earlier, if your purse is real leather, use leather paints like these instead)
Gold Acrylic Paint (Amazon)
Silver Acrylic Paint (Amazon)
Tooli Art fine line paint markers (Amazon)
Various brushes (This set on Amazon or Walmart would work)
Gloves (Amazon)
Water (only if your paint it really thick)
Tarp or a floor/painting area protector (I used a thick contractor bag that we had on hand, but a drop cloth works)
Optional: neon bandanas (I got mine from Hobby Lobby in neon pink and neon green, but Amazon has a similar set here), scissors
See me create this purse in my 1-minute video above or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
My overall purse styling
My silver cowboy boots are from Amazon.
How-To:
I first laid my purse on onto a tarp. Splatter painting is very messy! I removed the shoulder strap and tucked some other straps inside the purse.
Acrylic paint works best on vegan leather
Next, I added some of the neon paint to the tray. Some were a little thick, so I added a bit of water, dipped a brush into it and used a gloved hand to “flick” paint onto my purse.
Painting the edge details
I flicked, threw, dribbled each color of paint, one at a time, onto my purse, cleaning the brush in between each color. If you aren’t sure of which method to use, practice on some paper or plastic to help you understand what you like best.
Splatter painting can be messy
I used a brush to add a bit of color to the edging of the bag.
Splatter painting the purse
I used gold acrylic paint to paint the words “Braden not Birkin” (my last name is Braden, so that’s why it’s a “Braden”…I’m the artist that made this bag so it made sense to paint it) onto the front of the purse and did 3 layers, allowing dry time in between each layer.
Finishing the splatter painting
Next, I added some gold and silver accents using my brush all over the bag. I used some acrylic paint pens to outline the letters once they were dry.
Painting on the letters
Once I got the design I was looking for, I allowed the paint to dry overnight. I cut a bandana in half after washing and drying it.
Outlining the letters with a paint pen
I rolled the half of a bandana into a strip.
Cutting the bandanas in half
I tied the bandana onto the purse handle and wrapped it to cover it and knotted it and used my hands to move it to one half of the handle. I rolled the second half and wrapped it around the same handle and moved it around after knotting to cover the whole handle. I tried to wrap the entire bandana around the handle without cutting it, and it did not look right. Cutting it was less bulky and covered the entire handle.
Rolling the bandana
I absolutely love my Birkin dupe so much better now! Like I said earlier, the bag was nice on its own, but a plain black bag is just too plain for me. Painting it was the best idea and it matches my splatter shorts…even better!
Knotting the bandana around the handle
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Fix Leather Purse Handles with Edge Kote
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.