Kim Kardashian’s ‘elephant’ Birkin was a fake prop – still messy

The Moment

Kim Kardashian is in damage-control mode over a handbag. Again.

This time, it’s the infamous gray Hermès Birkin that appeared to be made from elephant hide, spotted on the set of her Hulu legal drama “All’s Fair” and in behind-the-scenes photos last November. The pictures sparked instant outrage from animal lovers and fashion watchers who thought Kim had added ultra-rare elephant skin to her already staggering collection of exotic Birkins.

On a new episode of sister Khloé Kardashian’s podcast, “Khloé in Wonder Land,” Kim, 45, finally cleared the air: the bag was fake.

“If you look at it … the hardware is upside down … it’s like an actual full fake one,” she explained, saying the piece was a prop bought for the show, not a real Hermès unicorn.

Her character, Allura Grant, wears the gray bag with an all-gray look, and Kim admitted the pick was basically color-coordinated chaos. “I was wearing gray and it was a gray one,” she said, like it was as simple as matching socks.

Still, even she now thinks it was a bad call. She told Khloé she was “so annoyed” with herself, not because the bag was fake, but because of the message it sent: that an elephant Birkin is a normal, acceptable flex.

The Take

Here’s where I land: Kim didn’t carry a bag made from an elephant. But she did carry the idea of one, and in 2026, that’s almost as loud.

We’re living in a post-fur-coat, post-exotic-skin-is-chic world – or at least, we’re trying to. Most people over 40 remember when mink was the ultimate status symbol. Now it’s what you apologize for in your mom’s closet.

Kim knows this. She’s turned her old fur pieces into faux versions. She’s hyper-aware of optics. So pretending to carry an elephant-skin Birkin, even for a character, is like staging a glam photo shoot in front of a gas-guzzling Hummer and then going, “Relax, it’s my neighbor’s.” Technically true. Spiritually tone-deaf.

I actually believe her when she says the bag is a full-on fake prop and that she regrets it. She’s too brand-calculated not to see how bad “Kim Kardashian, mother of four, casually toting elephant hide” looks in a world where people are boycotting brands over duck down.

But here’s the friction: Kim also lives for the rarest Birkin in the room. This is a woman who buys, resells, and fights with her mother on camera over ultra-rare Hermés. Exotic skins are part of that ecosystem. So when viewers saw her with what looked like an elephant Birkin, they didn’t see “costume design.” They saw a billionaire upping the luxury stakes again – this time with an animal that’s already on the edge.

In a funny way, the controversy proves how much culture has shifted. Ten years ago, the conversation would’ve been, “How much does that bag cost?” Now it’s, “Wait, what animal died for that, and why are we okay with it?”

If Kim’s trying to evolve into Serious Actress Era, this was a wardrobe choice stuck in Old Money Flex Era. And she’s right to call herself out. Even if the elephant was imaginary, the backlash was earned.

Receipts

Kim Kardashian reveals the truth about her controversial elephant Birkin bag https://t.co/cVRZxJmsXK pic.twitter.com/gVXhcygmiU

— Page Six (@PageSix) January 21, 2026

Confirmed:

• Kim said on the “Khloé in Wonder Land” podcast that the elephant-style Birkin used on the “All’s Fair” set was a fake prop, pointing out that the hardware was upside down and the bag was not a real Hermés piece (podcast episode released January 2026).
• She acknowledged she was “annoyed” with herself for the message it sent, noting that people couldn’t tell if the bag was real or fake and that she now wishes she had made a “better choice” in styling the scene (same podcast appearance).
• Kim explained that she brought many of her own Birkins to the “All’s Fair” set, and that production also kept additional bags – including the fake elephant version – on hand as wardrobe options (publicly reported in a style column dated January 21, 2026).
• Kim has a large collection of Birkins and has resold pieces, including a peacock blue Porosus crocodile Birkin listed for $49,995 on the family’s resale site in 2024 (per the site’s archived listings and coverage at the time).

Unverified / Context Only:

• Online reactions suggesting the prop was made from real elephant hide were based on photos, not documentation from Hermés or the production. There’s no public proof the bag was ever anything but a fake.
• Social media claims about specific conservation or legal issues tied to elephant-skin luxury goods are part of a broader debate about exotic skins and are not specific charges against Kim or the show.

Backstory (For Casual Readers)

If you’re not fluent in Kardashian plus Hermés, a quick rewind. The Birkin is Hermés’ legendary, waitlisted, five- to six-figure handbag – the status symbol of status symbols. Kim’s been collecting them for years, from classic leather to ultra-rare exotic skins, and has even sold a few through the family’s Kardashian-branded resale site.

In late 2025, behind-the-scenes photos from the “All’s Fair” set showed Kim holding what looked like an elephant-skin Birkin. That’s rarer, more controversial, and way more politically loaded than crocodile or alligator. Fans, critics, and animal-rights-minded viewers lit up social media, accusing her of glamorizing a bag they saw as ethically indefensible. Hermés, for its part, is famously tight-lipped and has not publicly weighed in on this specific bag.

Until this week, Kim hadn’t really broken down whether the bag was real or not. The assumption online leaned “real,” because, well, it’s Kim Kardashian and it was a Birkin on a high-end TV set. Now we know it was counterfeit – but chosen by people who knew exactly what they wanted it to look like.

What’s Next

From here, a couple of things to watch.

First, Kim’s styling choices on “All’s Fair” going forward. Now that she’s publicly called the elephant prop a mistake, it’ll be interesting to see whether future episodes lean into more obviously faux, sustainable, or less loaded luxury pieces. Costumes on a legal drama don’t have to be activism, but for someone as watched as Kim, they absolutely send signals.

Second, this may nudge more conversation about exotic skins in general. If a fake elephant Birkin caused this much uproar, how long before the real exotics – crocodile, alligator, ostrich – land in the same cultural penalty box that fur did? Kim has already shown she’s willing to rebrand around fur; the pressure might eventually reach her beloved reptile Birkins too.

Finally, don’t be shocked if we see a quiet pivot in the Kardashian resale ecosystem. The more public pushback there is to certain kinds of luxury, the more tempting it becomes to offload those pieces while quietly embracing “eco” and “ethical” buzzwords in the next launch.

For now, Kim’s message is: the elephant Birkin was fake, but her regret is real. The bigger question is whether Hollywood – and high fashion – are finally ready to retire the fantasy of bags that look like they came from an endangered animal, even when they’re just props.

Your turn: Does it matter to you if a controversial luxury item on a celebrity is fake, or is it simply glamorizing the idea of it already crossing a line?