how phone wristlets became a must-have accessory

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The fashion insider’s accessory is as pleasing to the eye as it is practical. The phone wristlet: often beaded and colourful, it offers a quick and easy update to one’s tech device, but is also useful in that, like the Nintendo Wii strap that once prevented us from shattering a television screen while playing virtual tennis, it keeps our most prized possession safe at a time when phone-snatching thefts are on the rise.

With the average person checking their smartphone every 12 minutes, according to an Ofcom survey, the rectangular device that stores much of our personal data, memories and contacts has become an extension of the modern person and resulting in severe pain if ripped away by a teenager on a bike. According to government figures, phone thefts in the UK have risen 150 per cent since last year. Of the 78,000 people in England and Wales who had had a phone or bag stolen up to the end of March, more than 58,000 (74 per cent) were in London. 

Civil servant Juliana Hatfield had their phone snatched out of their hand by a man on an electric bike in north London last month. The incident has left them “more anxious and paranoid about walking alone at night”. Hatfield has since purchased a decorative Hello Kitty phone lanyard to prevent it from happening again and says it helps them to feel more secure. 

About six months ago, a similar thing happened to me in central London. A teenager on an electric scooter attempted to steal my phone while I was using it to look at directions. Fortunately, it flew only a few inches into the air, slid out of his hand and hit the stomach of its rightful owner, as it was attached to my wrist by a gaudily beaded strap. 

I am not the only one who has benefited from tech accessories in this way. London-based brand String Ting, whose charms have been worn by celebrities including Dua Lipa and Kendall Jenner, has received letters from customers saying its beads have saved their phones from being stolen too. 

Yet on occasions that the bracelet-like straps could not endure the aggressive and speedy snatch of a thief, customers have written to String Ting founder Rachel Steed-Middleton saying: “I’m not even that upset about the phone — it’s insured — it’s my charm I’m more upset about losing.” Steed-Middleton believes that “an iPhone is a pretty anonymous object these days”, and that the uniqueness of her beads make customers “sentimental”. 

Tech accessories brand CASETiFY began as a custom phone-case brand collaborating with top designers, celebrities and brands including Disney and Saint Laurent. However, over the past year it has seen “significant double-digit growth” in the sales of phone charms and lanyards, according to Wesley Ng, co-founder and CEO. “This movement toward personalised tech accessories isn’t just a trend — it’s a fundamental shift in how people express themselves through their everyday devices,” he says.

Angela Lei, lawyer-turned-entrepreneur and founder of nail brand Fette, has multiple phone charms and straps that she uses, alternating them to match her outfits (she is currently pairing a leopard-print phone case with a Swarovski crystal wristlet from String Ting). Lei considers herself a charm enthusiast and loves the “style, convenience and safety” that it offers.

The sparkly and quirky designs of most phone wristlets and charms are reminiscent of the bold aesthetics of the early 2000s, a trend (coined as Y2K) that has inspired brands to tap into young people’s love for nostalgia. Coach’s fall/winter 2024 show featured borderline tacky key chains in the shapes of apples, yellow taxis and the Statue of Liberty. Balenciaga has a range of chaotic bag charms that would do well in a “who has the most key rings” playground competition. Loewe has a fun range of animal-, food- and transport-themed charms. 

By accessorising an otherwise generic device, a phone charm or wristlet acts as an “antithesis to quiet luxury”, offering an embellishment that reveals one’s personality, says Lei. In an increasingly homogenised world, she adds, it “brings a little bit of a childlike joy to your life”.

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