A perpetual favorite at sleepaway camps, today, friendship bracelets are not just for the kids, they’re for grown-ups, too. And some come with a very adult price tag. In a Vogue roundup of luxe friendship bracelets, one you can personalize with initials by designer Jemma Wynne fetches a cool $3,360.
Then, of course there are the homemade, candy-colored beaded versions that Taylor Swift fans have shared with each other during the Era tours, in an ode to one of her lyrics . (Before they got together, Swift’s own boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce , cheekily made one for her with his number on it.) Swifties weren’t the first to latch onto friendship bracelets.
Ravers trade beaded ones, too, called “Kandi,” and hippies in the 1960s and ’70s were into macrame bracelets. As the Guardian notes , some sources say friendship bracelets can be traced back to the Indigenous communities of Central and South America. For many, the draw of the friendship bracelet is rooted in ’90s nostalgia.
Growing up, a friendship bracelet, usually made of cheap, colorful knitted thread but sometimes beaded ― was the ultimate playground status symbol. Having a friend fasten one to your wrist ― after they went to all the trouble to make one ― was tangible proof that your friendships were solid and your social calendar was booked for the summer. “If you were known for complex designs, you could gain popularity by being ‘the one who could show you how to do the chevr.