No, Not an Alex Mill Tote—The Y2K-Inspired Jelly Bag Taking Over Social Media This Year

If you’ve clicked onto this article hoping for an update to your Alex Mill tote bag, I must apologise—the "Firkin" bag trend couldn't be more of a departure. Cropping up this summer as an accessories microtrend that I kind of ignored—I mean, it's an imitation Birkin rendered in jelly-esque plastic that leaves your wares on full display—somehow, I find myself about to backtrack.

Image shoes Paris Hilton, Madonna and Thierry Mugler Spring-Summer 1989 Fashion Show all wearing differing PVC. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Jelly accessories are by no means new. In the '80s, powerhouses like Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler had the fashion set falling hard for avant-garde jelly footwear, whilst Madonna and Cyndi Lauper made a serious case for the PVC bangle. But it wasn't until Y2K that translucent, tactile, wobbly little bags had their moment. Transparent neon totes and structured PVC bowler bags were everywhere, and much to our excitement, this meant that It girls like Paris Hilton showed us exactly what they were carrying around.

Fast-forward to 2026, and after years of quiet luxury and its muted colour palette, jellycore in all its joyous glory is back in a big way. See Chloé's playful princess mules or the squishy thong strap on Ancient Greek Sandals' Saionara flip-flops, and let us not forget the myriad resin rings and bangles that arrived with summer; plastic pieces have transitioned from nostalgic novelty to genuinely covetable.

Image shoes the jelly firkin bag trend 2026 — (Image credit: Who What Wear UK )

Crafted from jelly-like PVC, the "Firkin" is dripping with more-is-more, personality-driven maximalism that Gen Z is wholeheartedly embracing. It's playful, impractical and certainly not shy—isn’t that exactly what we’ve been craving from our wardrobes lately?

And despite its summery aesthetic, it's still very much out and about as we turn the corner into autumn. Whether personalised, lived-in and packed to the max or simply used to add a playful pop of colour to an otherwise pared-back outfit, if you want to transition summer's dopamine-infused colour palette into cooler weather, this is a fun way to do it. As our acting deputy editor Rebecca Rhys-Evans so succinctly puts it, "You’re either an Alex Mill girl or a 'Firkin' girl."