Editor’s Note
This piece explores how Lulu Frost’s founder, Lisa Salzer, translates symbols and words into wearable accessories designed to spark joy and personal meaning for the wearer.
The Spark of Joy in Accessories
Lulu Frost, the accessories brand, is dedicated to enhancing everyday life. This involves helping consumers discover “sparks of joy” through vibrant charms that can be stacked, inspire, and even serve as personal manifestations.
Founded by Lisa Salzer, Lulu Frost’s aesthetic celebrates life using symbols, words, and numbers on charms designed for necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and, more recently, handbags. Capitalizing on the bag charm trend, the brand collaborated with Veronica Beard in Spring 2025 to create a timely jewelry collection for handbags. This collection includes items like a clip-on Plaza charm and vintage-inspired charms, allowing consumers to express their unique style. Each charm in the clusters was selected to manifest and spark joy and abundance.
“I was so delighted, because one day on my Instagram, Veronica Swanson Beard DMed me,” said Salzer. “We go way back — I’ve known her and her sister for almost 20 years living in the city — [but] I hadn’t spoken to her in a while and she said, ‘Let’s do some jewelry together.’ I had never specifically done charm clusters for bags before, so I was just thrilled. I said, ‘Yes, let’s do it’.”
Collaboration and Customization
Salzer noted that the trio’s friendship was initially sparked by a shared love for their grandmothers’ jewelry. The team reviewed hundreds of pieces at the Veronica Beard offices, selecting charms for the clusters. A particularly interesting element for the collaboration was the Plaza letters, a signature Lulu Frost item for many years. The first iteration was launched at in-store events where consumers could pick and choose their charms.
“It’s sort of endless where you can put these charms,” said Salzer. “So, we put our heads together and a bigger collection, a bigger collaboration started to gel where we said, ‘Let’s make a custom charm style and bag chain’.”
The charm clusters feature team favorites like a hand-carved fish, custom-made tags reading “Make It Happen,” a gold heart, and a brightly colored tie. Salzer explained that the fish charm symbolizes prosperity, joy, and a “good catch.”
“It’s just a fun, a fun symbol of sort of abundance,” said Salzer. “It is such a tough time now, so these little symbols are more important than ever. What I’ve done for 20 years with Lulu Frost is communicate symbolically with clients and help them find these symbols that speak to what they’re trying to bring into their lives, or what they want more of. Things that are near and dear to their heart.”
The Power of Everyday Luxury
Through in-store events, Salzer observed women gravitating toward the joy that everyday luxuries can provide.
“That’s why I think accessories and jewelry and bag jewelry is so powerful because it adds that joy factor.”
She recalled a recent event on the Upper East Side where a stylish couple walked in, and she witnessed the woman “fall in love” with a piece as she added it to her Louis Vuitton bag.
“It really tapped into the reality of what’s happening for people,” said Salzer. “They want that joy. They need that little escapism moment. I think it’s very youthful, this bag accessory charm craze. It’s all about individuality, and you don’t have to spend so much to get this fun look.”
Furthermore, as consumers navigate tighter budgets in the current economic climate, Salzer sees this as a way to “amp up or change the look” and add value to an existing bag investment.
“That’s why I love what we created, because a client can put the whole charm cluster on the handle, or they can just put one of the charms and continually reinvent the look.”
“If you don’t want to invest in a new seasonal bag every year — which, who can really do that? — you can invest in a small piece of jewelry that can be so much more,” said Salzer. “I think the clip ability and the interchangeability of it are such a talismanic thing. People can just pop it on wherever they want. They get to decide, and that empowerment is what I love giving to clients.”
Looking Ahead: Storytelling Through Symbols
Looking forward, Salzer aims to continue promoting the message of storytelling through jewelry. New charms are released every two to three weeks, with about 70 to 80 percent of clients gradually building their collections over time.
“Symbolically, all these empowering symbols are about love and joy and fun and being lighthearted, especially at this time,” said Salzer. “When the world feels really heavy, these talismans can mean a whole lot more than what they look like at first.”
