Here’s how plush toys have become a high fashion staple

Fashion has never been afraid of embracing nostalgia. With the ’90s and 2000s revival in full swing, it’s no surprise that stuffed animals are back too. 

While Beanie Babies were all the craze back in the day. Plush toys, AKA plushies and stuffies, are all the rage again with grownups and young adults being their biggest fans. It’s not just collectors from fandoms stocking up on their favorites either. 

High fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Moschino are putting stuffed animals on the runway. Meanwhile, the hashtag #plushies has over 1.5 million posts on Instagram, while #stuffies has over 457,000, featuring slews of photos of plush toy collectibles. 

The TikToker @thedigifairy shared her take on why plush animals are the hottest fashion accessory these days. 

“A lot of this has to do with ’90s and early 2000s revival. Posing with teddy bears was really popular during this time,” she explained. “A lot of those teddy bear photoshoots of the 2000s were quite creepy.” 

She cites Britney Spears’ infamous Rolling Stones cover as an example of how the aesthetic was used to both infantilize and sexualize women. 

“Now it’s less creepy and more of a reference to childlike elements that are already popular across fashion elsewhere,” she said. “I think we’re looking for the carefreeness of childhood during these uncertain times.” 

The TikToker also mentions the popularity of sets that are made to look like old childhood bedrooms as being on-trend. The maximalist aesthetic is also a response to the once-popular minimalist movement. 

Artists like the one behind Super Nhozagri Kingdom have become popular for their colorful plush characters made for adult audiences.

Even Marc Jacob’s Gen Z line Heaven includes stuffed animal accessories like this “bear trap bag.” 

People also seem to be obsessed with Squishmallows, a line of soft, huggable toys with over 800 collectible characters. 

The TikToker @imdatingfrog seemed to have an endless supply of them. Meanwhile, the hashtag #squishmallow has over 875 million views and #squishtok has over 763 million views.  

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