LONDON — Could Labubu‘s creator Kasing Lung be LVMH‘s next Takashi Murakami-level artist?
That’s the question on people’s minds after Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, stopped by a Moynat event during Art Basel Paris to see the storied Parisian luxury bag-maker’s European launch of its hyped collaboration with Lung.
In a picture later released on Lung’s Instagram, Arnault stood alongside the artist while carrying a 48H Mini bag bearing a bold Labubu motif from the collaboration. A lychee berry Labubu plush toy from Pop Mart’s “Exciting Macaron” series can be seen prominently attached to the bag.
The picture soon sent online spectators into a frenzy, both on Instagram and China’s own lifestyle content-driven platform Xiaohongshu.
Many are speculating that, given the overwhelmingly positive market response to the Moynat collaboration, Lung could potentially be a contender for Louis Vuitton’s next big artist collaboration, following in the steps of Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama and Murakami, who attended the Moynat bag signing event in Paris as well.
Arnault’s endorsement of Lung is yet another example of the Labubu IP showing staying power, despite Pop Mart’s share price having cooled from its peak in late August.
A card from the Fanatics Collectibles x The Monsters trading card set.
Courtesy of Fanatics Collectibles
A growing list of high-profile collaborators is jumping on the bandwagon of the fluffy figurine with a grin of spikey teeth.
In addition to a multidrop deal with Moynat, Fanatics Collectibles released a trading card set last week that’s tied to The Monsters 10th anniversary exhibition, which kicked off its global tour in Shanghai, with the next stop being Taipei, slated from Nov. 8 to 30.
Through Pop Mart, Labubu also appeared on a range of T-shirts and hoodies at Uniqlo, was turned into chocolates by Godiva in China and is going to appear on a float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade this year, alongside fellow Pop Mart IPs Mokoko, Skullpanda, Molly, Dimoo and Peach Riot.
With Pop Mart’s five-month-old stand-alone jewelry concept Popop, Labubu is getting a luxe treatment within its own ecosystem as well.
The brand recently unveiled an 18-karat rose gold, white sapphire edition of a Labubu pendant necklace that was originally released as a 925 silver version for the 10th anniversary exhibition pop-up in Shanghai.
The silver version is priced at 980 renminbi, or $138, while the rose gold one comes with a price tag of 14,490 renminbi, or $2,003 at current exchange.
Rendering of a Pop Mart float featuring Labubu for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade this year.
Courtesy of Macy’s
First designed in 2015 by artist Kasing Lung, Labubu is part of the Monsters series, which also includes characters Zimomo, Spooky, Tycoco and Pato. Lung signed a licensing agreement with Pop Mart in 2019.
In the first half of 2025, The Monsters range raked in 4.81 billion renminbi, or $673 million, up 668 percent year-over-year, representing 34.7 percent of the total revenue of Pop Mart.
The big jump can be largely attributed to the release of the vinyl plush “Big Into Energy” series, as well as the “Wacky Mart” blind box figure toy range.
In a sit-down interview with China’s state-owned CCTV, Pop Mart founder Wang Ning said the company sells around 10 million Labubus a month, adding that, “Our sewing machines are running hot, and we’ve been ramping up production every month.”
He also revealed that renowned film studios worldwide, including many Hollywood companies, have approached Pop Mart about coproducing Labubu films.
