Shutting it down. Cardi B clapped back at haters claiming she and other Black female rappers have devalued Hermés’ wildly expensive Birkin bags.
These coveted designer handbags cost anywhere from $12,000 to more than $200,000 for exotic skins such as alligator — and the 28-year-old cannot get enough! She recently posted a pic showing off her extensive collection, though apparently, not everyone was impressed. The “I Like It” singer is shutting down the negativity with a powerful message.
On Sunday, October 25, the Grammy winner a video to Instagram calling out a social media post that claimed “Birkins have literally lost their value” and are less exclusive because “city girls and Cardi” have people “convinced that these Birkin bags are easy to get.”
“I’ve been seeing this tweet right. It had me and it had other female rappers on it and they were talking about if we could get Birkins from the Hermés store and they [were] also saying how we depreciate the value of a Hermés Birkin bag,” she said at the start of the nearly 4-minute clip. “I find that really interesting because, first thing first, I definitely could get a bag.”
In fact, she noted that she picked up four that very day. “I don’t want to brag but, it’s like, don’t even try it.”
She then went on to point out the race discrepancy behind the remark. “Second of all… why is it that y’all asking female rappers if they could get a bag from the Hermès store? Y’all don’t do this to these white celebrities.”
At this point in the video, she goes on to note how important hip-hop culture is to trends.
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“Another thing is that they’re saying we’re depreciating the value,” she said. “Actually, we add value because when we mention brands in hip-hop, s–t go up.”
For example, she explained that after the Louboutin reference in “Bodak Yellow,” their sales went up “1000 plus percent.”
Though it may not be quite that much, according to a report from Business of Fashion and Lyst in November 2017, searches for those “red bottom shoes” increased by 217 percent after the hit single was released. BoF also reported at the time that Cardi “created an estimated $4.5 million media value in 2017.” So she definitely has the figures to back her up.
“Like hip-hop, we start trends,” the “WAP” singer continued in her video on Sunday night. “When y’all say that we devalue s–t, no we actually add value.”
Along with making her point, Cardi B also encouraged young girls to see past the value of a Birkin. “If you’re a regular girl, you don’t have to break your neck to have a Birkin. A Birkin don’t make you,” she said. “Don’t ever feel like you gotta compare yourself. Don’t compare yourself to nobody [on] the internet. This internet s— is fake… You still a bad f—ing bitch. Period.”
Now excuse Us while we have that printed on a bumper sticker.
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