Over the last few months, we've seen so many designer bag dupes being replicated on the high street that we've almost lost count. From River Island's take on the Saint Laurent bag to Hermès Mini Kelly and Hermès Birkin handbag dupes taking over the internet, it's safe to say the designer look is on a steep incline.
With London Fashion Week 2025 just gone and the resurgence of Balenciaga's 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 - we've found some of the best lookalikes to get the designer feel without the designer price tag.
If you weren't 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.

Closer's 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
Editor's 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, we've 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
Best mini Balenciaga City Bag dupe

www.bershka.com
This mini bowling-style bag from Berksha comes in a similar distressed, worn effect with decorative straps and tassels, mimicking the style of Balenciaga's City Bag. Berksha's bag encapsulates the edgy vibe well, with hardware details and slouchy, laidback feel that looks a lot like the mini Le City for less.
Best Balenciaga City Bag dupe overall

www.asos.com
Personally, a bag that we think is the closest dupe to the City Bag is River Island's 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 that's something we're willing to overlook for nearly £2,400 less.
Editor's Choice

www.asos.com
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 can't ignore.

www.stradivarius.com
Similarly, we'd 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.

www.riverisland.com
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 won't be around for too much longer. After all, it's currently just £20.

www.asos.com
The same bag but in a vivid chartreuse, this screams editorial in all of the right ways. We've seen the same colour from Balenciaga itself, so we believe we're onto a winner with this River Island designer dupe. Tassel and charm details only add to its expensive look.

www2.hm.com
A somewhat inspired dupe, this Soft Strappy Bag from Monki can be shopped over at H&M. 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 it's found a place on this list.

www.stradivarius.com
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 it'd 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.

www.bershka.com
In various of the Bershka inspiration snaps seen on-site, 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.

www.freepeople.com
Not so much a dupe, but more of an alternative given its price tag. We've heard the Emerson Tote from Free People is a favourite, bestselling style. The Baby Emerson also comes top-rated, and we love the worn-in feel of the bag and the soft design that reminds us (and others) so much of Balenciaga's 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.