It’s Time To Embrace Bag Charms (Again) – They’re The Catwalk Trend You Can Buy From £8

It's happening. The accessory for your accessory is back, and it's taken centre stage on our TikTok pages, on the catwalk, and now - in your shopping cart. The bag charm is rearing its Y2K head, and we're completely, well, charmed. Leading the way at New York Fashion Week was Coach, which brought out big bag charms- think fun, oversized teddy bears dangling from chic accessories. Some of our favourite high street stores like M&S and COS have also jumped on the bandwagon; both online and in-store, they are peddling bag charms aplenty.

This trend feels equal parts nostalgic and fresh, injecting a sense of fun into everyday bags. For Spring/Summer 2024, Miu Miu gave us monogrammed chains and colourful cables, while Balenciaga leaned into the bold with keys, lockets, and layered chains. It’s playful, it’s personal, and it’s exactly what our accessories needed.

Image Credit: Imago - Coach NYFW

Allow us to take you even further back to Fendi Autumn/Winter 2013, when Karl Lagerfeld sent models down the runway with a fuzzy charm (the Fendi monster) dangling from leather goods, adding a touch of playfulness to an otherwise demure designer bag. After that, Karlito was born, a fuzzy imitation of Lagerfeld himself, first debuted by Cara Delevigne during Milan’s A/W 2015 show, an accessory that was soon waitlisted, sending fans into a frenzy. Now, more than a decade later, the bag charm has returned.

Beyond the runway, Dua Lipa has been spotted wearing the trend more than once, adding baubles and charms to her Hermès Birkin.

In fact, most would agree that it started with the Birkin. Jane Birkin, that is. The American actress, who inspired the design of her namesake bag, was known to decorate her own with ribbons, jewellery and key chains. Putting a new spin on the meaning of luxury, Birkin managed to make a £10,000 designer bag appear entirely individual and lived in. From then, the term 'Jane Birkification' was born.

Gen Z's re-discovery of the bag charm hardly comes as a surprise. With the rise of DIY, and a growing appreciation for upcycling, the re-emergence of the bag charm is emblematic of the young generation's desire to bring individuality into everything, differentiating themselves from the collective through their style, even more so than generations gone past. And it's working.

Shop our favourite bag charms below.

Shop: The Best Bag Charms 2025

Marina Avraam is the Deputy Commercial Content Editor for Grazia. Hobbies include (but not limited to) finding the best designer dupes, buying every iteration of the adidas gazelles and listening to celeb podcasts every hour of every day.