"Bag-charm self-expression has hit a peak. Where once we might have wondered what was in our fellow subway riders' carryalls, now the contents hang out in public view, grinning up at us in the form of emoji plushies and framed photos of boyfriends and K-pop stars. Fashion Week attendees carried designer bags adorned with ... miniature designer bags. Elementary-school kids went back to class hauling backpacks heavy with Touchland hand sanitizers in Jibbitz-adorned carrying cases made by Crocs and lip balms strapped into holsters."
"The bag-charm boom shows little sign of stopping, and, maybe inevitably, high-priced status dongles are now part of the look. At the opening of Dior's new flagship, there was a display for customizing key chains; Maison de Sabré, an Australian leather-goods line, has trucks driving around town advertising AirTag-size leather bag charms in the shape of fruits; and Loewe recently released a $750 two-and-a-half-inch-wide orange leather pumpkin keychain for Halloween. You can hang it from your backpack by the twist in its golden stem."
Bag charms have exploded in popularity, transforming personal bags into visible sites of self-expression with emoji plushies, photos, toys, and novelty trinkets. The trend spans ages and settings: elementary-school backpacks, Fashion Week purses, and commuter bags now bristle with charms, keychains, sanitizers, and branded accessories. Luxury brands and designers have embraced and monetized the craze with customization options, mobile advertising, and expensive leather novelties. The proliferation can create visual excess and distraction, with some teachers and commuters noting the burden of overloaded bags or the near-erasure of the bag beneath an avalanche of dangling objects.
Read at Curbed
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