NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 02: (Exclusive Coverage) Gigi Hadid arrives at The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue )
Cover Gigi Hadid at the 2022 Met Gala (Photo: Getty Images)

Glam up your devices with these phone charm accessories that Gigi Hadid, Dua Lipa and Blackpink can’t get enough of

Amidst all the extravagant couture gowns and sparkling jewellery that we saw at the Met Gala this year, there was a humble accessory that surprisingly graced the red carpet: the phone strap.

Adorned with beads and charms in different colours and shapes (the heart is especially popular), the accessory was spotted dangling from the iPhones of Met Gala attendees like Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid and Vanessa Hudgens.

Read more: Met Gala 2022: The Couples That Conquered the Red Carpet

Tatler Asia
Above Bella Hadid flaunts her String Ting phone charm inside the Met Gala (Photo: Instagram / @bellahadid)

The accessory, which was a must-have in the 2000s, has been making a comeback for a while now. Over the past year, you would have seen it on Instagram selfies from celebrities like Dua Lipa, Kendall Jenner and Blackpink members Rosé, Jisoo, Jennie and Lisa, injecting a dose of fun and personality to their handheld devices.

And if you thought that the buzz for these beaded phone charms would only last as long as a TikTok trend, the Met Gala showed us otherwise. Ready to spruce up your phone? Read on for the best phone strap and charm brands to shop now.

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String Ting

String Ting is the brand that started the phone charm craze. After Dua Lipa shared one of the London brand’s colourful handmade straps in a selfie, they were soon seen on other It-girls including Ariana Grande, Kendall Jenner, Kaia Gerber and all of Blackpink. String Ting’s “frivolous necessities”, as the brand calls them, come adorned in a rainbow of acrylic, glass or resin beads threaded onto satin cords.

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E.K.J Project

Like String Ting, homegrown accessories label E.K.J Project was born out of the pandemic. Each of its Couture Wristlets is heavily embellished with glass beads, Austrian crystals and its signature smiley face charms, which reflect founder Erlina Katuari’s desire to make people happy with her designs. The vibrant phone straps have certainly worked their charm on Asia’s style stars, including Sonia Chew, Fiona Xie and Karisa Sukamto.

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Read more: This Beaded Phone Strap is the New Must-Have Accessory Among Asia’s Stylish Set

Lauren Rubkinski

French fine jewellery designer Lauren Rubinski translated the bold aesthetic of her cult chain accessories into a series of fun phone straps, which also function as necklaces. Besides colourful beads and charms in the shape of hearts and stars, Rubinski’s straps are often marked by alphabet charms that spell out mood-lifting words like “Lucky”, “Smile” and “Dream”.

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Hang On Bling

A millennial herself, Alex Bass wanted to tap onto her generation’s Y2K nostalgia when she founded Hang On Bling. The brand’s signature Phone Lanyards are distinctively inspired by various pop culture obsessions that ‘90s kids will no doubt recognise, such as The Powerpuff Girls, Bratz and That’s So Raven.

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Loewe

For a luxe take on the trend, turn to Loewe. With its customisation service, the Spanish luxury fashion brand lets you create your own personalised charms which you can hang from your favourite Loewe bag—or your smartphone. Starting with a base of a calfskin strap, build your accessory from an array of dice charms featuring alphabets, numbers and symbols, which range from the classic Loewe Anagram to cheeky motifs like the peach and the eggplant. You can also add 3D leather tassels and flowers, as well as fun, metallic charms of animals like the elephant and the octopus.

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