The bag charm has become a small but powerful expression of personal taste. A familiar handbag becomes distinctly yours through the objects clipped to it: a miniature collectible, a favourite beauty product, a tiny bottle of tequila. For brands far outside fashion, that creates an opportunity to become part of how people present themselves.
818 Tequila offers a telling example. In August 2025, Kendall Jenner’s brand announced 50ml Blanco and Reposado bottles, alongside a collectible bag charm launch bundle. The charm gave the miniature bottle a second role: an accessory designed to travel beyond the drinks cabinet.
The move captures the appeal of “little treat culture”: small purchases that deliver a moment of pleasure and a manageable dose of novelty. Bag charms add another dimension by making that pleasure visible. The purchase becomes something to style, photograph and talk about.
For 818, the strategic appeal is clear. A miniature bottle already exists within the conventions of the spirits industry. Adding a clip places it within the visual language of fashion and beauty. The brand’s marketing chief explicitly connected the launch to the charms and lip glosses people were attaching to their bags.
The wider Minis launch campaign generated significant attention. According to 818’s Shorty Awards entry, it delivered 210 million organic social impressions, a 10% engagement rate, more than 175 earned media placements and 1.17 billion earned media impressions. These brand-reported figures demonstrate visibility and engagement, although they do not isolate the bag charm’s impact or establish additional tequila sales.
This helps explain why brands from seemingly unrelated categories are drawn to the trend. They can participate in an established habit of personalisation without building an entire accessories business. Recognisable packaging, translated into miniature, becomes a wearable expression of brand affinity.
There is a limit, however: shrinking a product does not automatically make it desirable. The object needs enough character to earn its place on someone’s bag. Otherwise, it risks feeling like promotional merchandise.
818 illustrates how little treat culture can expand across category boundaries. The appeal lies in giving consumers a small, playful way to bring a brand into their personal world. A few centimetres of bag space can carry considerable cultural value.
What could this look like for your brand? Start with something your audience already recognises and loves. Could it become a small, playful object they would choose to carry?
