New York Fashion Week is approaching. Sadly, the trend this year might not be a garment or color or shoe. It may be the Labubu.
The Labubu and “Lafufu” trend is at a weird crossroads. Online, the hype cycle is already being declared over; A recent TikTok said the Labubu is basically on its deathbed as supply finally caught up with demand and TikTok’s frantic resale culture moved on. Where once you had to fight for a $100 drop on TikTok Shop, now you can casually add one to your cart for $27.99 like you’re buying toothpaste.
And yet, in the celebrity world, Labubus refuses to die. If anything, they’re multiplying. Scroll through Getty and you’ll find a fever dream of Labubu sightings: Marc Jacobs arriving at his own fashion show with one dangling like a mascot, Naomi Osaka carrying it like it’s part of her off-court uniform, Cher accessorizing her leather bag with a fluffy little gremlin on the way into Carnegie Hall.
Then there’s the true spectacle. Kathy Hilton pushed a stroller full of dogs through Beverly Hills with a Jamocha Shake in one hand and a Labubu keychain clipped to the puppy vehicle like it’s a family heirloom. Influencer Francis Dominic, showed up to an A24 screening with an oversized pink tote stuffed with pastel Labubus like he just robbed a Pop Mart. Luke Sullivan clutched one at a Zeus Network carpet. Anna Roisman grinned with hers on a Bravo backdrop. Elton Ilirjani stormed through Osaka Station in thigh-high boots with a Labubu in tow.
It’s that mix of A-list and D-list, high fashion and pure chaos, that makes the Labubu moment so unreal. Marc Jacobs and Naomi Osaka might legitimize the Labubu as a fashion accessory, but it’s the random Bravo girls, micro-influencers, and Beverly Hills moms that make the whole thing feel like a trend in freefall. And maybe that’s the point: the surest sign of cultural saturation is when something lives in the Getty archive forever, dangling off a handbag no one asked to see.
So where do Labubus go from here? Are they truly dead, or just entering an awkward midlife crisis? The marketing tie-ins suggest the latter: there are matcha Labubus, BuzzBallz Labubus, alphabet Labubus — every new drop stretching the toy further into absurd brand synergy. If Beanie Babies and Tamagotchis had Happy Meals, Labubu might be this moment’s spin on the collectible-to-consumer pipeline.
Even if TikTok moves on, the bodega fridge or Starbucks counter could be next. Dead online, but very much alive in Hollywood.
Images via Getty
