Without purses, there'd be no bag charms.

But without one quirky purse in Jane McFadden's collection, there'd be no Jane the Brand.

The Vancouver-based bag charm business is barely a year old, but already McFadden and co-founder Deana Bobic have seen its success skyrocket. 

From one amazing handbag to a bag charm business

And to think, the growing accessories company's formative moment was when Bobic spied McFadden's colourful rattan handbag with hand-painted palm trees at school pick-up. 

"That bag is amazing!" Bobic remembers calling out to McFadden. 

"Honestly, from that one conversation, fast forward a month and a half later, we were like, 'Are we starting a business? This is happening?'" Bobic tells V.I.A. 

Their chat about handbags shifted to a deeper examination of recent runway shows and talk of trends. The friends said they were seeing bag charms in image after image––baubles dangling from shoulder straps and zipper pulls––but were coming up short on where to find the add-on accessories locally. 

Naturally, rather than order a pricey bag charm from a big designer like Louis Vuitton or wait until they stumbled upon them in some shop, they did what any two people interested in fashion would do.

They started a business. 

After some initial legwork with sourcing and bringing on a sales rep, Jane the Brand took part in its first trade show in January 2025. 

Popular bag charm line includes lots of fun food pieces

In a matter of months, their bag charms have been selling like hotcakes on their online store and at retailers Canada-wide, with each charm sparking delight for the wearer and plenty of conversation. 

While Jane the Brand doesn't have a hotcake bag charm (yet?) their food charms are among the biggest sellers, from tiny, cuddly gyoza and plush smiling broccoli to bowls of realistic ramen, and tiny trendy tumblers. 

Fashionistas who happen to be fast food fiends might want to clip Jane the Brand's ketchup packet and single French fry charm onto their purse. 

Pom poms, zodiac signs, initial letters. Hearts and ribbons, bunnies and braids, cherries, chains, or coffee cups...there really is a charm (or two or three) for everyone. 

And it turns out even when Bobic and McFadden thought they had a handle on who their shopper was, a sizable custom order from a national chain of toy stores gave them fresh perspective. Soon, Jane the Brand's charms, with designs aimed at kids, tweens, and teens, can find new homes with the backpack and lunch bag set. 

Ultimately, Jane the Brand's popular is fuelled by the indelible drive people have to seek new ways of self-expression. 

McFadden acknowledges the tension between cultivating individual style and the allure of fast fashion leaves people searching for simple ways to stand out among peers who are all shopping at the same stores. 

The charms are "a way to show off your personality, your mood, perhaps a little bit about yourself on your bag," adds McFadden. "It shows something just so unique about them," she says of their customer, whether they be a conservative dresser who opts for a bit of cheeky fun by clipping a furry broccoli charm on their bag or a business woman adding a bubble letter initial to their belt loop. 

Jane the Brand now the largest bag charm company in Canada

Bobic and McFadden themselves are savvy businesswomen who happened to find themselves heading up a burgeoning business that has vaulted to the top of its class. 

"We're the largest bag charm company in the country, and we sell to over 100 retailers," attests McFadden, who points to places as far-flung as a Newfoundland boutique to several Eastern Canadian university bookstores that are on their roster. 

In Metro Vancouver, Jane the Brand is at several boutiques, such as Yaletown's Fine Finds. For the duo, being a Vancouver-based and female-founded business is a point of great pride. Not only are they in great company, given how many prominent fashion brands began in Vancouver, but there's also that West Coast cool-factor the bring to the table. 

Proudly Canadian, proudly Vancouver-based

But beyond being a Vancouver biz, Jane the Brand is fiercely proud to be a Canadian company––you bet you'll see the maple leaf on their product's tags. Given the political climate (not to mention shipping and tariff challenges) at this stage of the game, the Jane founders are finding there's a lot of community in the Canadian entrepreneur sector. 

It's that "we're all in this together," sensibility, observes Bobic, while McFadden is quick to point out that she's never been more in tune with the country's people and geography thanks to Jane's presence in so many locations coast to coast. 

As the duo keeps tabs on what's trending via runway shows and via stylish influencers' social media feeds, they are seizing every opportunity to keep growing the brand. 

Now, rather than seeing each others' great handbags, they're spying their own Jane the Brand charms out in the wild. 

"It's just sort of taken off," says McFadden. "And we're really, really excited about it."