Labubu effect: When cuteness becomes a billion-dollar business
Agencies When cuteness becomes a billion-dollar business
'Today, if you have a product that can make people go 'awww', you have won,' says Vaishak, founder of The Seraphim Store in Bengaluru, which deals in sneakers, streetwear and all things hype. His current drop are a few boxes of the viral Pop Mart doll, Labubu, which is making everyone go 'aww' or 'eww', depending on which end of the ugly-cute fence you are on. Vaishak, who scores his merch mostly from Malaysia, says the blind boxes—so called because you will know the version of the doll you get only when you open the package—are spoken for even before they land. The price of the plush toy monsters starts at Rs 5,000, while special editions come for Rs 15,000. Vaishak is certain cute is serious business.
It sure is. Since mid-2024, Labubus—created by Hong Kong-based artist Kasing Lung and manufactured by the Chinese toy company Pop Mart—have had the world in its chokehold. Everyone from Lisa of K-pop band Blackpink, who started the frenzy, to singer Rihanna to actor Ananya Pandey has been spotted with Labubus hitched to their luxury handbags. It is now the No. 1 collectibles release on the online resale platform StockX, selling for Rs 18,000. Labubu has also propelled Wang Ning, founder of Pop Mart, into the billionaires' club of China, one of the youngest to get there.
FUN IS IN
Fashion and design are intrinsically linked to nostalgia, childhood memories and elements of fun, says Aneeth Arora, founder and designer of Pero, an Indian brand which, journalist Namrata Zakaria says, brings playfulness and childlike influences into mainstream fashion. Last year, Arora worked with the Japanese company Sanrio's Hello Kitty brand to create a collection that was Indian in its craft but kawaii (Japanese term, loosely translating to cute) in its execution. Arora believes in the lasting power of cute: 'Fun and play have been in our DNA. We have worked with themes like dolls, collaborated with Barbapapa [title character of a French children's book] and now Hello Kitty. Labubu might be a microtrend but the whole idea of nostalgia and fun via fashion is not. Unlike Labubu, Hello Kitty is not a microtrend. It has been around since 1974.'Even so, the current love for cute—as evinced by #charmcore, #plushiecore and #toycore—has baffled fashion watchers. By its very nature, 'cute' suggests immaturity or lack of depth, making it a four-letter word in fashion. But people are clicking on cute. Fashion writer Sujata Assomull says, 'In uncertain times, there's a deep emotional pull toward things that feel light, nostalgic and comforting. Cuteness is a gentle escape—it's not too serious, and in that way, it becomes emotionally relevant.'
Since the pandemic, microtrends have become the norm. Besides Labubus, Jellycat is the fastest sell-ing toy brand at the high-end department store chain Selfridges in the UK. Other Pop Mart blind-box toys like Crybaby and Hirono are also gaining popularity.Shyma Shetty, designer & cofounder of Huemn, says 'cuteness' is here to stay till we see a safer and more balanced political and economic climate. She adds, 'Fashion has always been a response to cultural cues—and we live in very chaotic times. It has made us desensitised. This microtrend is the biggest example of a deeply emotional response.'A Vogue Business article says the reasons toys are having a moment in 2025 are manifold: people are seeking comfort, a connection to a simpler time, they are 'affordable luxury', and these 'kidult' collectibles help adults express their personality. Agrees Shetty: 'Digital culture is accelerating these microtrends. But I believe that if it's everywhere, it's already over. This is why Labubu doesn't appeal to me, even though I'm finding joy in this trend.' Shetty, who was in Tokyo last month, went for other toys like Smiski and Fugglers.Marketing professional Amrita Chhabria confesses to leaning onto cute trinkets—usually picked from Miniso—as quick comforters to deal with daily stress caused by family members being in and out of hospital. Sarifluencer Ashwini Narayan pairs charms and toys with her bags as reminders of old trips. Delhi-based visual designer Soumya Marhual, 28, makes her own charms. She says, 'Owning things like this gives you a false sense of control that you are curating your life, that you are actively making choices.'It could also be a way to engage playfully with fashion. Jatin Varma, founder of Comic Con India, says, 'After Lisa was spotted with Labubu, shelves filled up overnight, resellers priced it like limited-edition sneakers and people started dropping words like 'collector' and 'fan' as if they had grown up with it. It was fascinating to see the speed at which something can go from niche to status symbol—not because of story, not because of meaning, but because it entered the right frame, in the right photo, with the right person.' Varma says, 'We have reached a point where people don't want to join culture. They want to skip straight to owning the symbol of it.'
DOLL'S PARTY But for brands there's no set playbook to go by. Assomull says if a brand doesn't already have a playful or quirky side, forcing cuteness can backfire. Vivita Relan, cofounder of the whimsical ceramics brand The Wishing Chair, has been riding the cute wave since 2012. She says the line between whimsical and childish is paper-thin. Brands can strike the right balance with intent and execution. She says, 'We use playful silhouettes, but ground them in well-made artistry. Also, cuteness isn't about making an exact design replica of something from your childhood, but about evoking that feeling.' Arora agrees. She says 'cute' without solid workmanship is hollow.Shetty says this trend is evolving into 'recession luxury' where tactile, playful aesthetics serve as a psychological balm and a business tool. Assomull calls it 'emotional luxury'. 'Perhaps we have reached a saturation point with product-driven luxury: one It-bag after another. People are now craving emotion, tactility and joy,' she says.Bengaluru-based Bhavisha Dave, cofounder of streetwear store Capsul, which was selling Labubus last year along with other collectibles like Kaws, Be@rbrick and Hirono, says the Labubu craze signals trends are now more Asia-focused. 'Earlier, people travelled more to Europe or US; now they visit Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore or Japan, where collectible culture is a lifestyle.'Labubus are not a work of luck, she says. 'Pop Mart has been in the business of selling collectibles for a while. They understand the hype mindset— scarcity, blind box, collectible. They know how to sustain this frenzy.'Zakaria is enjoying the craze: 'I think it's a fun accessory that gives a little whimsy to an overpriced, snobby handbag.' The blind box means you can buy a Labubu but you take what you get. She says, 'It's like you can't choose a Labubu, it chooses you. Sounds like Hermes, no?'
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