There’s a small toy perched on the bookshelf of my friend’s carefully curated living room. It’s a little creepy. Out of place. A tad confusing.
And better yet, it doesn’t match anything. Not her soft linen curtains, not her aesthetic, Assouline coffee table books, nor her Diptyque candle that smells like summer. It’s a little creature with a mischievous grin and bug-like eyes.
Its name is Labubu. (Pictured above.)
The Labubu craze is something that was totally unexpected, especially in the fashion world. The first Labubu-related thing I saw online was a paparazzi photo of Rihanna with this plush toy attached to her Louis Vuitton bag.
Within days, these fluffy little hideous monsters were everywhere. Looped onto Hermès handbags, clipped to belt bags, tucked under arms like something precious.
It was intentionally contradictory–absurd, yes, but wildly refreshing in its own way (bear with me). To be completely transparent, it’s not for me. I don’t get it — and frankly, I don’t want to — but there is a lesson we can take away from this suddenly strange trend!
There’s something almost rebellious about the rise of this plush toy–not in a loud, statement-making or revolutionary-demanding way, through a subtle wink.
And it got me thinking: What are the fashion implications of this very unserious, unaesthetic, borderline idiotic (yet disarming and playful) trend?
At its retail price sitting around $20 (and much higher resale value on StockX priced anywhere from $300+), I couldn’t help but think about this moment in fashion. A small, strange plush toy, intentionally selected not to signal wealth or sophistication of any sort, but to perhaps suggest something sillier and more sentimental: personality. A playful softness peeking out of an otherwise structured idea.
I feel that we are all yearning for something fresh, cheeky, and personal in the fashion world — a concept rather than a garment. Fashion can be too self-serious, often carrying a dash of unnecessary intimidation. In a time when trends move quickly and everything is on the table in terms of “what looks good”, people are reaching for an air of authenticity to what they’re doing. Something that signifies, “I know what I’m doing, and I did it on purpose… I’m not just following the crowd.”
It’s not just a trend. It’s, maybe, just maybe–a resurgence in allowing yourself to be playful with your personal fashion, which is why people are drawn to it. (Now, I do understand the irony of these little goblins selling on stockX for 10x their value acting as the latest totems of individuality.)
Still, I think we’re all wanting to leave a little more room for the things that don’t quite make sense at first glance. For objects that serve no purpose except to genuinely spark joy and make us happy and turn some heads in the process.
There’s a subtle joy and magic in allowing ourselves this kind of playfulness—both in what we wear and how we design our homes.
The same way the Labubu toys uproot expectations by being slapped on a luxury handbag.
There is something about a carefully chosen, imperfectly-perfect object on a bookshelf that can soften the sharp edges of a perfectly styled room or be an unexpected accessory on a top-tier fit. It serves as a reminder that we need joy, surprise, and personality.
They don’t have to be polished or pristine all the time. They can hold contradictions: seriousness and silliness.
When we leave room for this tension, we create environments—and personal styles—that feel more honest. More human. More alive.