The death of Jane Birkin last July prompted a reevaluation not only of her artistic legacy – the actor and singer starred in numerous cult films, from Blow-Up to La Piscine – but also of her impact on fashion, a poster girl for insouciant, thrown-on French style. There was also her namesake handbag, the Hermès Birkin, a fashion canon accessory that began life with a chance encounter between Birkin and Jean-Louis Dumas, the former chairman of Hermès, on a flight. She expounded a desire for a handbag large enough to carry all of her belongings; he, so the mythic story goes, drew the original design on the back of an aeroplane sickness bag.
Her own Birkin, beloved and much-used, would accompany her throughout her life, adorned with strings of colourful beads, silk scarves, keyrings, novelty charms, even watches (‘I don’t like to wear them, but sometimes you need the time,’ she explained). Her argument was that a bag was designed to be worn rather than preserved behind glass, the various trinkets a resolute assertion of individualism and personality in the ensuing era of the glossy it-bag. The ubiquity of the bag charm in recent months – from Balenciaga’s keyring-adorned Rodeo bag to the viral plushie ‘Labubu’ dolls – captures a similar mood, a riposte to minimalism and a statement of personality. When charms appeared on the Miu Miu runway as part of the brand’s S/S 2024 collection, they signalled a new mood of eclecticism: ‘moments of beauty, touches of history, pieces of life’.
Here, selected by the Wallpaper* style team, ten playful bag charms and keyrings to adorn your accessories, from a menagerie of animals to enormous sequins, chains and tassels.
Superlative leatherwork meets a mood of play in Hermès’ fish-shaped ‘Poisson’ charm, constructed from Epsom printed calfskin, a technique which gives the lanyard its distinctive bold hue.
True to Jonathan Anderson’s idiosyncratic approach, the humble sequin is blown up in size and cast in steel, lending a shimmer of glamour to bags or keys.
Utilising the house’s signature woven intrecciato technique – which will celebrate its 50th anniversary later this year – this cat-shaped charm captures the childlike wonder of Matthieu Blazy’s final collection for the house.
Brooklyn-born, Tokyo-based jeweller Marland Backus – a former industrial designer – is gaining traction for her colourful, stacked-up accessories which capture the joy of teenage hoarding. Case in point: this keychain which features a lively assemblage of dice, crystals and stars.
Prada first released its signature ‘robot’ keyring, a miniature articulated robot in the house’s typically modernist style, in 2004. 20 years on, the playful emblem is reinvigorated on this fluoro-hued ‘pop strings’ bag charm, designed to loop from one handle to the other.
During Jonathan Anderson’s tenure at Loewe – which ended with the designer’s departure from the house last month – the designer created a menagerie of playful animal-shaped accessories, from elephant-shaped handbags to cat-shaped pouches. This leather tiger charm, from his Paula’s Ibiza line, is a fitting final souvenir, with space enough for errant coins, hairclips and jewellery.
Miu Miu calls its bag charms ‘tricks’ – a fitting moniker for the playful adornments, which span miniature versions of the brand’s handbags and clothing, to colourful beads and leather flowers, like this intricately crafted leather pom-pom dandelion.
Inspired by vintage rugby shirts, Stefan Cooke’s heft tassel charms first appeared as part of a collaboration with Mulberry in 2023. Now, they are available from the London-based label’s webstore in monochrome hues of white and black, or this version in stripes of mint and charcoal.
During his tenure at Balenciaga, Demna has riffed on tourist merch – from T-shirts and caps emblazoned with names of cities to sparkling Eiffel Tower embroidery. The Eiffel Tower also features on this piled-up ‘Turner’ keyring, alongside padlocks, mirrors and a tiny cartoon cat.
Since her arrival at the Parisian house, Chemena Kamali has returned to Chloé’s insouciant bohemian beginnings, referencing the ruffled gowns and romantic spirit of Karl Lagerfeld’s time at the house in the 1960s and 1970s. This charm is an easy way to channel the mood, featuring the house’s perennial motifs in golden metal – from leaping horses to a pineapple.
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