If you’re a fashion girly whose TikTok and Instagram screen time is well above the two-hour-a-day mark, you will have heard the name ‘Labubu’ multiple times a day for the past few weeks.
The Labubu boom has taken the style sphere by storm recently, with some of the world’s most notable fashion icons and internet It-girls singing their praises and going to quite literally the ends of the earth to secure their preferred colourway.
The craze erupted into an epidemic of hardcore fans lining up for hours to secure the new editions and get their hands on a piece of zeitgeist popularity.
Just like Sonny Angels and Smiski’s (IKYK), Labubu’s are a major sell-out, many stores even limiting buyers to one each and resellers astronomically marking up the original price from around £30 to upwards of £200- some even upwards of £1000.
The Craze has become so monumental that peer-to-peer fashion rental app and go-to fashion destination By Rotation is renting the status symbol from £4 a day.
What is a Labubu?
Labubu is a character designed by Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-born artist, illustrator, and toy designer. The pint-sized, fluffy, gremlin-esque plush toy is reminiscent of Nordic fairy tales and folklore. Labubu was first introduced into the world back in 2019 when Kasing debuted his storybook series, The Monsters. At the same time, famed Chinese collector store Pop Mart collaborated with the artist to bring Labubu to life in the form of a fluffy keychain plush toy available in various colours, shapes, and sizes.
© Pop MartLike most Pop Mart figures and collectables, each Labubu is secured in a blind box so buyers won’t know exactly which one they got until they unbox it- likely streaming and unboxing live from the comfort of their driver seats.
Why is everyone so obsessed with them?
Trinket collecting culture is at an all-time high at the moment ( bag charms, we’re looking at you), with many likening the new Gen Z obsession to Tamagotchis and Beanie Babies circa 1997.
© Getty ImagesOver all, the reason as to why everyone is so obsessed is partly because they’re hard to get, partly because all the cool-girls coined them a must-have and partly because personalising your outfit is the highest form of fashion praise.
What do you do with them?
If you’re a hardcore collector and fan of Kasing Lung and his work, it’s likely you’d keep your Labubu at home, in a secure box or alongside your pre-existing collector items.
If you’re a fashion fan, you’ll clip your Labubu to your handbag (designer or not) for all to see.
© Getty ImagesIf you’re not quite ready to cue for hours or risk the disappointment of being stuck with a colourway you really didn’t want, here are just a few Labubu plushie alternatives that are just as fashion-forward and cultivated as the Japanese icon.
How we chose:
Style: Made from various plush materials, all with a hanging attachment to adorn where you please. Though not a Labubu, each are in the same collecting family and are eclectic, It-girl-approved.
Cult Status: Each plushie on this list is a certifiable collectable with ties to the trinket-collecting community.