I've never been someone too preoccupied with hair styling – maybe because I was blessed with fairly compliant, straight hair that didn't need much tending to, maybe because I'm a lazy person who will always prefer a sleep-in over a good hair day. But while my youth was spent fairly religiously donning Blair Waldorf-inspired headbands and hair ribbons threaded through my mandatory ponytail at school, my 20s have seen me become a claw clips convert.
The hair accessory was a mainstay in the 90s and all the way through to the early 2000s, and while it never truly fell out of fashion, its certainly seen a resurgence in popularity over the last few years, spawning dedicated micro-brands like Emi Jay, Valet Studios and KATYA, and embellishing runway hairstyles from Alexander Wang's F18 show at NYFW to CHANEL's FW23 show in Paris.
If you're sick of the ponytail headache, or want to find a quick and elevated way to achieve a work-appropriate hairstyle, then below we're rounding up 20 of our favourite brands to shop for your next hair claw clip.
1. Valet Studio
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Founded by jewellery and apparel designer Ana Piteira, Valet Studio "harnesses girlish fantasies for the contemporary woman" to craft Y2K-inspired and novelty claw clips that fill that glittering, rhinestone-shaped hole in your hair accessories arsenal. The brand is a small splurge, price-wise, but do offer free shipping for orders over $50 across the country. You can also snag an extra 15% off your next purchase by signing up to their newsletter.
Price: $35 – $70 from Valet Studio | Delivery: Free shipping on all Australian orders over $50
2. Emi Jay
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Emi Jay is another popular, 'designer' claw clip brand based out of New York City. You've probably seen their customisable, hand-made, bedazzled claw clips on Instagram at some point in the last few years (they've been around since 2009), or perhaps you've spied some of their novelty frangipani or bow-adorned accessories. Matilda Djerf, Hailey Bieber and Gigi Hadid count themselves as fans of the brand, and they've recently branched out into a much wider range of haircare products and headwear accessories.
Price: $12 – $86 from Emi Jay | Delivery: International shipping costs are calculated per order
3. KATYA
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London-based KATYA's kitsch, crystal-embellished hair clips count Bella Hadid and FKA Twigs as fans, and is a perfect pitstop for Y2K-inspired butterfly claw clips and bejewelled barrettes in delectably candy-coloured palettes. Their range is small and limited, and are definitely on the more expensive 'designer' side of the claw clip options out there, but they're so chic it's hard to care. KATYA claw clips are – for the time being – all one size, good for a short to medium length of hair.
Price: $44 from KATYA | Delivery: International shipping starts at $25 with an estimated arrival within 7-15 business days
4. Reliquia
If you didn't know, now you know: Australian jewellery brand Reliquia also do gorgeous hair claw clips. Taking the care and attention to detail that they bring to their jewellery to the hair accessory world, their clips are like little works of art in and of themselves – and we're loving the unique shapes and colourways they've got on offer. Their 'Lotus Clip' is particularly unique and available in two bejewelled colourways, but we also have our eye on like the 'Addie' or the floral 'Rio'. The brand will even throw in a complimentary gift with all orders for a limited time!
Price: $35 – $60 from Reliquia | Delivery: Free shipping on all Australian orders
5. Prada
At the height of luxury is the Prada claw clip, available in a couple of different shapes, sizes and colourways on their website – all in a brilliant, metallic finish. Sure, they're a splurge, but they're still one of the brand's more affordable pieces of merchandise if you're looking for any way to get that iconic triangle logo into your daily wardrobe rotation.
Price: $690 – $830 from Prada | Delivery: Standard shipping is complimentary on all purchases from the Prada website (generally delivers in 3-5 business days)
6. Coucou Suzette
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French brand Coucou Suzette is about as camp and kitsch as it gets – ready to breathe a little humour and colour into your outfits. Made with recycled and biodegradable cellulose acetate, each piece is designed and produced by the original artist Juliette Mallet and brand Coucou Suzette in their Parisian workshop. Luckily, you can avoid those international shipping fees (and emissions) by shopping their Sydney stockist: Hands.
Price: $12 – $86 from Hands | Delivery:Free shipping on all Australian orders over $120
7. Apricité Studios
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This Sydney-based, Swedish-founded brand was established in 2021, with a mission to marry beautiful design with quality craft. Using high-quality, renewable materials, their clips are hand-crafted using premium eco-friendly acetate and with special attention paid to the transparency and sustainability of their creation and supply.
Price: $39 – $49 from Apricité Studios | Delivery: Free shipping on all Australian orders over $35
8. Gorman
Aussie clothing label Gorman are known for their bold artisanal patterned garments and accessories – and this extends to the claw clip! They have a range of bright, patterned claw clips inspired by fruit markets and floral arrangements – and even have a few limited-edition artist-designed clips from American graphic artist Marcello Velho and Chicago-based artist Elena Fiorenza Gatti. The price point is middle-of-the-line, but the brand also frequently has sales that you can wait out for. You can also skip the shipping price by finding your nearest store (there are more than 50 across Australia and New Zealand).
Price: $14.50 – $29 from Gorman | Delivery: Standard shipping is $12.50
9. Winona Irene
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Winona Irene is designing some of the most thoughtful, playful and adorable claw clips on the market at the moment, each inspired by nature or her personal style of illustration. The whimsy in her designs are apparent through her 'Goldfish' hair claws and sleeping 'Gold Cherub' clips. If you're looking for something a little less camp and a little more romantic, her floral range is sophisticated and sweet (but I mean, you're lying if you said you weren't at least tempted by her 'Cajun Shrimp' clip... ).
Price: $19.89 – $49 from Hands | Delivery: Free shipping on all Australian orders over $120
10. Lisa Junius
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For something a little more unique and artisanal, check out the claw clips available from independent multi-disciplinary Luxembourg artist Lia Junius. Working across a variety of mediums, Junius' clips are an amalgamation of craft and artistry; dreaming up a calming, cosmic series of illustrations to adorn her products.
Price: $19.89 – $49 from Hands | Delivery:Free shipping on all Australian orders over $120
11. Sophie Buhai
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Parsons graduate Sophie Buhai's eponymous jewellery and hair accessories label is a testament to her refined vision of elegant minimalism and 70s modernism. Her range of handcrafted shell claw clips are the ultimate in sophisticated hair accessories, made in France using acetate and silver.
Price: $335 from SSENSE | Delivery: Free shipping on orders over $450
12. Chunks
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Designed in Seattle, Washington, Chunks are spearheading bold and colourful hair claw clips. The brand is WOC-owned, female operated, consciously designed and responsible made in Jinhua, China. Their checker claw clip went viral online back in 2020, which propelled the brand as a tastemaker in the hair accessories category – and has seen them since expand into a much wider range of designs, colourways and styles.
Price: $19.89 – $49 from Hands | Delivery: Free shipping on all Australian orders over $120
13. Kitsch
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From its LA-based female founder to our sandy shores, Kitsch is focused on the pursuit of trend-forward, anything-but-boring hair accessories. Their Cloud Claw Clips are a particular favourite, as are their gold and silver hair claw clips. Their price point is affordable and most of their products are made from recycled and eco-conscious materials.
Price: $12.50 – $17 from Adore Beauty | Delivery: Free express shipping on all Australian orders over $65
14. Marimekko
For the Scandi-at-heart among us, Marimekko is the penultimate. The Finnish brand's iconic Unikko pattern florals are here cast in recycled acrylic. Available as a large claw clip, or as a mini in both black and white colourways, they're the perfect accessory to almost any outfit. The Unikko print, created by Maija Isola in 1964, is celebrating its 60th year this year, is an emblem of joy and a subtle nod to the codes of the Marimekko brand heritage.
Price: $60 – $70 from Marimekko | Delivery: Free standard shipping on orders over $150 if you sign up, or a $10 flat fee
15. Seed Heritage
If you're a minimalist at heart, a lover of neutrals, but still want to branch out from your usual plain black claw clip, then Australian label Seed Heritage is a great place to start. They sell claw clips individually and in small packs (in case you can't choose), and are pretty widely available in stores around the country and online. Their price point is accessible, their designs are minimal but still fun, and the range of sizes available mean that you can select the clip that best fits your needs.
Price: $29.95 from The Iconic | Delivery: Free standard shipping on orders over $75
16. Morgan & Taylor
If you're looking for a budget option for claw clips that allow you to get a small set at once, Morgan & Taylor are an accessible, affordable brand for the job. Owned and operated out of Melbourne, the brand specialises in headwear and hair accessories, and offer a wide range of claw clip sets in different colours, styles and finishes.
Price: $29.95 from The Iconic | Delivery: Free standard shipping on orders over $75
17. Lovisa
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If you were ever a tween in Australia, then you'll know about the affordable treasure trove that is Lovisa. They have stores aplenty all over the country, stocked with a myriad of hair claw clips in just about every style and variation. From golden bows and fabric flowers to diamante butterflies and pearl-embellished clips – they've got you covered on just about every front. Shop in store to avoid the delivery fee, or shop online and opt for same-day delivery before 11:30am on weekdays.
Price: $29.95 from Lovisa | Delivery: Free standard shipping on orders over $55 (estimated 3-6 day delivery)
18. Eb & Ive
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Founded by two Australian women, Nicky Morgan and Julie Mckie, eb&ive curates a beautiful range of apparel and accessories, encouraging creativity in an effortless way. Their website's selection of sleek, modern claw clips are affordable and available in styles both simple – like their 'Nawi' claw clip – and more abstract – like their 'Verve' claw clip. They also sell some extra-large clips that are suited to longer and thicker styles.
Price: $11.95 – $19.95 from Eb & Ive | Delivery: Free standard shipping on orders over $100 in Australia
19. Sportsgirl
Another nostalgic store for the Aussies is Sportsgirl, whose products have dominated our tween wardrobes with ubiquity since the iconic 'Sportsgirl' duffle bag days. They sell a pretty wide range of claw clips and other hair accessories online and across their 150+ stores, and for very reasonable prices. All the classics are there – the flower clips, the checkered clips, large black clips and clear ones. They're also currently swinging a 'Buy 2 get 1 Free' deal at the moment, so we'd suggest hopping to it.
Price: $9.95 – $14.95 from Sportsgirl | Delivery: Free express shipping on orders over $80 in Australia
20. Urban Outfitters
Even if you aren't an American teenager, you probably know about Urban Outfitters. What you might not know is that they've had an online presence in Australia for a couple of years now, where they have been curating a selection of claw clip brands (like Emi Jay and Chunks) as well as their own in-house designs. Their 'Pearl Heart' claw clip is a particularly unique standout, but there's plenty to peruse.
Price: $18 – $60 from Urban Outfitters | Delivery: Standard shipping is $40 (estimated delivery between 12-17 business days)
