The Great Labubu Delulu of 2025 had the power to prompt grown adults to camp outside shops and hand over large amounts of cash, all for a product heavily imbued with an air of the Emperor’s New Clothes. Think that was the high watermark for head-scratching viral fashion trends? Prepare to think again, because over the weekend, the nation – and indeed, the wider world – was briefly overtaken by another collective consumer mania.
On Saturday (16 May), Swatch, the watch brand best known for cheerful, relatively affordable wrist candy fashioned from plastic-y materials in bright colours, launched a limited edition collaboration with another Swiss brand, Audemars Piguet. Tents were erected. The police were called. And shops had to close their doors.
