Bag Charms: Fashion’s Smallest Tool for Self-Expression

Following on from our Losercore report, which explored fashion’s shift toward uncurated self-expression and visible chaos, one trend in particular stood out: bag charms. While we touched on them briefly in the context of Losercore, their growing cultural relevance signals something much bigger. These small, often plush or playful accessories have become one of the most prominent tools for customisation, transforming everyday bags into emotionally expressive and deeply personal objects. In a broader moment of aesthetic individualism and nostalgia, bag charms go beyond the decorative, offering emotional expression, connection and comfort.

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Where We Are Seeing Them

Bag charms are showing up everywhere. From the runways of Sandy Liang and Chloé to styling videos across TikTok, charms are being clipped onto backpacks, totes, shoulder bags and even micro bags. Whether handmade by an independent seller on Etsy or bought from a designer label, their versatility allows them to be stacked, layered, and swapped at will. Some of the most popular charms right now are plush, character-based, and found in blind boxes, adding a layer of anticipation and play to the experience. Brands like Jellycat and Pop Mart have exploded in popularity, with character series like Labubu, Pop Bean, and Skull Panda. These charms are creating a new kind of visual language, one that reflects play, chaos, and a need to stand out and be expressive in increasingly homogenised style spaces

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The Need For Comfort Objects

The appeal of bag charms runs deeper than just novelty. While their origins can be traced to icons like Jane Birkin, whose famously chaotic bags helped set the tone for personal accessorising, the emotional connection today is more aligned with comfort objects, especially from childhood. Plush charms, in particular, offer familiarity and tactile joy, acting as a buffer from the seriousness of adult life. They also serve as visual cues of niche interests and fandoms, helping wearers signal identity and find community through shared interests and characters.

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The Age of Customisation

Bag charms sit in a wider customisation renaissance, that's driving fashion away from polished minimalism toward chaotic sentimental, expressive clutter. Alongside phone hippers, patchwork denim, enamel pins, and “weird girl” maximalism, bag charms reflect a growing cultural rejection of sleek uniformity. In a moment where many are carrying the same It-bags, charms disrupt that sameness. A single charm, especially one tied to a memory or specific interest, can make a mass-produced item feel distinct, emotionally charged, and deeply individual.

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The Key Trends and Drivers

Plush and Nostalgic Toys

Bag charm trends are evolving rapidly, with plush and handmade styles leading the way. Character-based charms, such as Labubus, Monchichis, and Jellycats, are defining the space; Labubu Charms alone have seen a +166.14% surge in consumer interest over the last year. Meanwhile, Etsy handmade and DIY-inspired charms have seen a one-year rise in interest of +13.70%. These often include repurposed nostalgic toys or references like cartoon characters or Tamagotchis, bridging digital nostalgia with physical self-expression.

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Mini Bags and Pearls

Mini bag charms, or tiny replicas of full-sized bags, are another emerging trend, currently seeing a +159.24% increase in popularity over the last year, with many designer labels like Prada and Fendi turning their bags into charm sizes. Pearls are also having a moment within the charm space, trending upwards by +37.18% this year. Being used by designers such as Simone Rocha and Jimmy Choo to add a touch of softness in contrast to the boldness of maximalist styling.

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Metal and Leather

Durable charms made from materials like metal and leather are also trending, with one-year interest rising by +28.17% and +72.46% respectively. These sleeker versions are appearing across both high street and designer brands from Anthropologie to Kate Spade.

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Gold and Silver

Within metal finishes, gold is outperforming silver in popularity, trending upwards by +29.41% compared to silver’s still-strong +23.29% rise over the last year. According to the Enstyle Index, the signal scale which ranks desirability from 1 (early) to 10 (dominant), gold currently has a 4, while silver sits slightly lower at 3, indicating stronger overall demand for gold in the current market.

Together, these trends show how bag charms have become dynamic tools for personal expression and storytelling. They offer new ways to display identity, mood and aesthetic alignment.

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The Future of Bag Charms and Personalised Styling

Though small in size, bag charms point to bigger emotional and cultural shifts. They reflect a craving for joy, a rejection of aesthetic rigidity, and a desire to be seen as multifaceted, authentic, soft and expressive. They function almost like fashion’s version of a comfort object: disarming, tactile and personal.

Expect more brands to lean into this trend, perhaps with build-your-own charm bundles, plush and sensory elements, or customisable features that tap into both identity and feeling. We are also seeing this charm culture in adjacent categories such as shoes, with lace charms and chains, indicating the broader movement towards adaptable, playful styling across lifestyle and fashion.

As fashion continues to merge self-expression with self-soothing, bag charms are the blueprint for where personal style is heading.