On a grey Tuesday morning in Knightsbridge, a pebbled leather bowler bag swings from the crook of an elbow.
Attached to its handle: a tiny, technicoloured leather creature, rendered in painstaking detail. The bag is already worth more than a small used car, yet it’s this palm-sized creature, the Labubu, that catches the light and the attention.
For decades, handbags have been the punctuation mark to an outfit. Now, that punctuation has acquired a flourish. Designer bag charms: small but deliberate trinkets that dangle from leather, suede or canvas, have taken over.
Once the preserve of teenagers’ rucksacks and airport souvenir kiosks, charms have moved decisively into the realm of luxury.
Hermès sells miniature leather horses for more than most people’s weekly rent. Burberry has the iconic Thomas Bear, and Loewe is busy dreaming up ever stranger, googly-eyed leather creatures.
Let’s not forget the resale value of Labubus either. They’re trinkets, yes, but also statement accessories. Proof that, even in a world of £3,000 totes, there’s still a ravenous appetite for embellishment.
The appeal? It partly lies in their frivolity. In a fashion climate increasingly dominated by restraint, the charm offers a sanctioned bit of play. It’s an indulgence you can clip on or take off without the existential commitment of, say, a neon coat.
It also plays to the collector’s instinct. A bag is a singular purchase, while a charm invites repetition. You can acquire them season after season, pairing a calfskin satchel with a ceramic beetle one month and a bejewelled safety pin the next. They give handbags a kind of wardrobe of their own – a rotation of moods, all for the price of a flight abroad (short-haul, admittedly).
Perhaps most tellingly, charms occupy that sweet spot between surplus and substance.
They don’t change a bag’s utility, but they change how you, its owner, experience it. It’s the same way a bookmark makes a paperback feel more personal, or a scarf changes the appeal of a much-loved winter coat.
In a market where individuality is the true currency, that little swinging talisman might be the most effective investment you can make.
Shop our edit of the best designer bag charms below.
Everything you need to know about the Labubu craze: What are they, and where can you buy them?
Best women’s sunglasses with coloured lenses for summer 2025: Top picks inspired by the 70s and Y2K
Best neckerchiefs and silk scarves for an effortlessly high-end aesthetic
Best Gucci handbags to buy now and wear forever
55 Best online jewellery shops 2025: From affordable to designer jewellery
Burberry Thomas Bear Charm
Burberry’s Thomas Bear has long been the brand’s unofficial mascot, but here, he’s dressed for the kind of weekend that involves both the country and a black-tie dinner.
Crafted in soft check cashmere with polished hardware, it’s a slice of heritage you can clip to your bag. Not quite Paddington, not quite Beefeater, but perfectly British.
Buy now £295.00, Burberry
Loewe Lucky Puzz Charm
Loewe’s Puzzle bag reimagined in charm form is the brand’s equivalent of a Russian doll — small, clever, and precision-built.
This “Lucky” version pairs smooth calfskin with gold-tone hardware, delivering the kind of craftsmanship usually reserved for full-size arm candy.
Whether you believe in talismans or not, there’s something irresistibly reassuring about carrying luck in leather form.
Buy now £550.00, Loewe
Miu Miu Leather Trick
With its glossy finish and retro colour palette, Miu Miu’s Leather Trick feels like a prop from a Sixties Italian film. Equal parts charm and conversation starter, it’s a flash of whimsy that plays beautifully against Miu Miu’s prim-meets-playful aesthetic. Clip it on and let the compliments queue.
Buy now £310.00, Miu Miu
Coach Snail embellished bag charm
Slow fashion gets a literal twist with Coach’s snail charm. Rendered in enamel and gold-tone metal, it’s proof that the brand’s Americana aesthetic can bend towards the eccentric. At under £100, it’s also one of the more affordable, esoteric designer bag charms.
Buy now £95.00, Harvey Nichols
Simone Rocha Hare Faux-Fur Bag Charm
A rabbit’s foot for luck, reimagined through Simone Rocha’s romantic lens. This hare charm swaps superstition for softness, in a cloud of faux fur finished with a neat bejewelled flower. It’s an accessory with the charm (pun intended) of a keepsake and the polish of couture.
Plus it’s utilitarian too, with a hidden zippered pocket.
Buy now £180.00, Selfridges
Bimba y Lola Blue Ropes Key Ring
Marine knots meet Mediterranean colour in Bimba y Lola’s rope key ring. Bold, practical, and delightfully unprecious, it’s ideal for those who like their charms more functional than frilly, but still capable of brightening a rainy commute.
Buy now £36.40, Bimba y Lola
Anya Brands Perrier Coin Purse
Anya Hindmarch’s tongue-in-cheek branding reaches fizzy heights with this metallic green Perrier coin purse. It’s equal parts pop art and Parisian café culture – an accessory that will have strangers peering closer, then smiling.
Bonus: it holds coins, cards, or emergency lipstick, making it both a novelty and a necessity.
Buy now £295.00, Anya Hindmarch
LV Charms Bag Charm
A celebration of monogram mania, Louis Vuitton’s LV Charms string together the brand’s initials in gleaming brass and enamel. It’s maximalist in the most controlled way, and the kind of flourish that turns a plain black tote into something that photographs like a runway piece.
Buy now £550.00, Louis Vuitton
Bottega Veneta Leather Knot Keyring
The house’s iconic knot, usually spotted clasping minaudières, gets downsized into a keyring. In supple leather and subtle tones, it’s quiet luxury at its most literal: no flash, just the confidence of craft.
Buy now £260.00, Harrods
Fendi Spaghetti Charm
Only Fendi could turn a plate of spaghetti into a three-figure accessory. Crafted in leather and rendered with such precision you can almost twirl it on a fork, it’s joyously absurd and completely Italian. It won’t feed you, but it will feed your need for a little high-fashion mischief.
Other Fendi foodie charms include a cup of fries, a coffee cup and a dumpling.
Buy now £710.00, Fendi
