Over the last few months, weve seen so many designer bag dupes being replicated on the high street that weve almost lost count. From River Islands take on the Saint Laurent bag to Hermès Mini Kelly and Hermès Birkin handbag dupes taking over the internet, its safe to say the designer look is on a steep incline.

　　With London Fashion Week 2025 just gone and the resurgence of Balenciagas Le City bag on the rise, now is the best time to hunt for affordable alternatives. Given that the original retails near the £2,450 mark, and even preloved Balenciaga Le City Bags well into the hundreds - weve found some of the best lookalikes to get the designer feel without the designer price tag.

　　If you werent familiar with the original Balenciaga Le City bag, it comes in the form of a soft and slouchy, laidback structure with an edgy, editorial look. It typically comes in a few versatile sizes from small to large, and is most notably characterised by its studded hardware, tassel zips, and range of colours - from distressed metallics to classic blacks and bold, eye-catching hues that seriously make a statement.

　　©Christian Vierig / Getty Images Closers best Balenciaga City Bag dupes at a glance: Best mini Balenciaga City Bag dupe: Worn-Effect Bowling Bag With Straps, £35.99 on Berksha

　　Best Balenciaga City Bag dupe overall: Bashed Medium Tote Bag In Black, £46 on River Island

　　Editors choice: Glamorous Top Handle Tote Bag In Brown, £30.50 was £38 on ASOS

　　Of course, no dupe could possibly match the real deal, but they might as well be just as good, especially at matching the same vibe. So, weve done our best to bring you the best Balenciaga City Bag dupes that we could find to match your SS25 wardrobe.

　　SHOP: The best Balenciaga City Bag dupes 2025 1. Berksha Worn-Effect Bowling Bag With Straps

　　Best mini Balenciaga City Bag dupe

　　BerkshaPrice: £35.99www.bershka.com

　　View offer This mini bowling-style bag from Berksha comes in a similar distressed, worn effect with decorative straps and tassels, mimicking the style of Balenciagas City Bag. Berkshas bag encapsulates the edgy vibe well, with hardware details and slouchy, laidback feel that looks a lot like the mini Le City for less.

　　2. River Island Bashed Medium Tote Bag In Black

　　Best Balenciaga City Bag dupe overall

　　River IslandPrice: £46www.asos.com

　　View offer Personally, a bag that we think is the closest dupe to the City Bag is River Islands Bashed Medium Tote Bag. Featuring the same shape, tassel details and distressed leather-look effect, at a glance you might mistake it for the designer original. It does include River Island branding to the front, but thats something were willing to overlook for nearly £2,400 less.

　　3. ASOS Glamorous Top Handle Tote Bag In Brown

　　Editors Choice

　　ASOSPrice: £30.50 (was £38)www.asos.com

　　View offer A popular style currently favourited by over 3,000 people on ASOS, we imagine this bag is going to be snapped up pretty quickly. This Glamorous Tote comes in both brown and black, and each style has a subtle nod and similarities to the larger Balenciaga City Bags that we just cant ignore.

　　4. Stradivarius Large Soft Bag With Zip

　　StradivariusPrice: £39.99www.stradivarius.com

　　View offer Similarly, wed say a pretty spot-on dupe for the City Bag comes in Stradivarius Large Soft Bag. It features a slouchy shape close to the original with longer zip toggles and silver hardware that has the same vibe as its iconic Balenciaga counterpart.

　　5. River Island Silver Faux Leather Charm Tote Bag

　　River IslandPrice: £20 (was £42)www.riverisland.com

　　View offer One of the cheapest dupes that we could find in the River Island sale, we can see loads of similarities between this metallic silver tote bag and the mini Le City bag. If you like the look of it we recommend snapping it up, as we imagine at this affordable price, it wont be around for too much longer. After all, its currently just £20.

　　6. ASOS River Island Charm Tote Bag In Bright Green

　　ASOSPrice: £42www.asos.com

　　View offer The same bag but in a vivid chartreuse, this screams editorial in all of the right ways. Weve seen the same colour from Balenciaga itself, so we believe were onto a winner with this River Island designer dupe. Tassel and charm details only add to its expensive look.

　　7. HM Monki Soft Strappy Bag

　　HMPrice: £44.99www2.hm.com

　　View offer A somewhat inspired dupe, this Soft Strappy Bag from Monki can be shopped over at HM. It has a suede effect rather than the leather original, and while it might not feature the same level of detail, its strappy tassel effect and soft yet structured shape means its found a place on this list.

　　8. Stradivarius Soft Tote Bag With Braided Handle

　　StradivariusPrice: £35.99www.stradivarius.com

　　View offer We love how versatile this bag is from Stradivarius which features a braided handle and soft, slouchy shape. This one borders on slightly more professional, so itd be great to carry around to the office or for a more formal style of setting. But, it has just the right amount of edge with subtle studded detail.

　　9. Berksha Bowling Bag

　　BerkshaPrice: £35.99www.bershka.com

　　View offer In various of the Bershka inspiration snaps seen below, this Bowling Bag does have a slight resemblance to the City Bag. Distressed leather-look effect and edgy additions will make styling an absolute breeze. This bag will completely pull the focus.

　　10. Free People We The Free Baby Emerson Tote Bag

　　Free PeoplePrice: £148www.freepeople.com

　　View offer Not so much a dupe, but more of an alternative given its price tag. Weve heard the Emerson Tote from Free People is a favourite, bestselling style on-site. The Baby Emerson also comes top-rated, and we love the worn-in feel of the bag and soft design that reminds us so much of Balenciagas Le City Bag.

　　Samantha Price is a Senior Commercial Content Writer for Closer. During her time at Bauer, she has worked on writing expertly crafted buying guides on beauty, fashion and lifestyle.