Labubu Brawl to Hirono Runway: Pop Mart’s London Pivot
A viral scuffle at Stratford Westfield sends Labubu into timeout just as Pop Mart rolls out a Hirono pop-up—complete with an exclusive vinyl, a silver pendant, and the brand’s first UK jewelry pop-up.
Alleged Labubu Scuffle at Stratford Westfield Ignites Red Book Frenzy
A short clip on Xiaohongshu (“Little Red Book”) reportedly shows two queues outside Pop Mart’s Stratford Westfield store breaking into a fight over the newest Labubu drop. One shopper appears with at least five plush-vinyl Labubu swinging from their cross-body bag. Perhaps very relatedly, Pop Mart has pulled Labubus from shelves until at least June.
Meanwhile, on Red Book, hundreds of comments give us a fast read on collector angst:
Scalper outrage — “黄牛” (resellers) dominate the replies. A Thai user claims boxes priced at 3,300 THB are flipped for 6,500 THB, echoing global anger at mark-ups.
Demand gap — London, Bangkok, and Shanghai fans report instant sell-outs, while China’s smaller cities say stock just gathers dust—fuel for regional arbitrage.
Labubu tunnel vision — Nearly every comment revolves around Labubu variants. Other IPs barely register.
Moral disbelief — Readers from Malaysia to Beijing ask why anyone would throw punches over a toy, with many urging “Safety first.”
Brand frustration — Mainland collectors question why Pop Mart keeps pushing overseas launches while some provinces still lack flagship stores.
Why it matters (if true):
Viral brawls—even alleged—can spike resale prices and tarnish brand goodwill.
Supply imbalances are widening the scalper premium and alienating fans outside megacities.
Labubu’s runaway popularity is both a sales engine and a looming PR headache if chaos keeps surfacing at launches.
Pop Mart Pivots to Hirono: London Pop-Up & Jewelry Drop Signal a New Era
Pop Mart just made its priorities loud and clear: after a year of Labubu-driven stampedes, the brand has pivoted the spotlight to Hirono and is betting big on his staying power. The new “Runway to Nowhere” pop-up at Unit X Gallery, 40 Earlham Street, Covent Garden, opened today (23 May) and runs daily through 8 June—Mon–Sat 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun 12 p.m.–6 p.m. The space doubles as a mini-museum (mirrored chess-board catwalk, storyboard walls) and a retail test-lab: day-one shoppers faced wristbanded, QR-scanned queues and a strict one-piece-per-ID rule while hunting the UK-exclusive “Hirono the Pianist” vinyl, a numbered sterling-silver pendant (edition 300) that debuts Pop Mart’s Popop jewelry line outside China, and matching rings and studs. A creator signing is set for tomorrow, 24 May, with a reported £150 spend threshold for wristbands. In short, Pop Mart is doubling down on Hirono’s high-fashion, art-toy pedigree—publicly easing off the Labubu hype cycle—while using London’s collectors to gauge whether this IP (and its jewelry upsell) can carry the next phase of the brand’s global expansion.
The Hirono pendant, ring and stud are the hero set of Pop Mart’s first fine-jewellery capsule, fresh from the Covent Garden launch.
Hirono Jewelry Comes to London
Pop Mart has folded its nascent accessories venture into the Covent Garden show: the pop-up doubles as the UK launch pad for Popop, the sterling-silver jewelry line it rolled out in China in January. Day-one shoppers can buy a numbered Hirono pendant necklace (edition of 300) alongside matching rings and earrings lifted from the Shanghai debut. Pop Mart UK’s own socials call it “the very first collection of Hirono jewelry” in Britain, and local coverage stresses that the necklace is a show-only exclusive—clear signals that the brand is using the exhibition to gauge European appetite before deciding on a dedicated Popop boutique.
Silver not your vibe? A limited Hirono woven throw joins the merch mix, translating the character’s sketch-book art into cosy homeware.
Pop Mart leans into streetwear styling—layering the pendant and ring over muted basics to nudge jewellery beyond pure toy fandom.
The collection’s “bandage” rings cast Hirono’s trademark patch motif in textured sterling, rounding out the launch lineup.
