As the designer toy market continues to expand, doll clothing is rapidly becoming a must-have for collectors. On social media, young consumers share their Labubu dolls dressed in outfits, ranging from simple everyday styles to high-end custom designs, and from modern fashion trends to pieces inspired by traditional Chinese craftsmanship.
Designing and producing doll outfits has become a growing trend, both in the domestic market and for exports. Some traditional clothing companies are moving quickly into this emerging niche, while specialized doll clothing manufacturers are receiving a surge of international orders.
Toys themed on Labubu, a popular furry doll from Chinese toy company Pop Mart, are pictured during the opening ceremoy of a new offline store of Pop Mart in Bangkok, Thailand, July 5, 2024. (Xinhua/Sun Weitong)
In a textile workshop in Haining, east China’s Zhejiang Province, many fabrics, such as Song brocade and gauze, which are carriers of traditional Chinese culture, are turned into exquisite outfits for Labubu dolls.
These doll outfits use fabrics recognized as national intangible cultural heritage, said Hu Mingyi, general manager of the company. By combining traditional materials with modern trends, they allow more young people to appreciate Chinese culture and bring it to overseas markets.
Depending on complexity, making a single doll outfit by hand can take anywhere from 20 minutes to three hours. Prices range from more than 10 yuan (about $1.4) to nearly 100 yuan.
Consumer demand for personalized designs is growing rapidly, said a doll outfit designer named Qu Minna. Some shops now update their collections daily instead of weekly.
In Puyuan Ancient Town, Tongxiang, Zhejiang, the owner of a handmade yarn shop said that doll outfits are mainly purchased by parents for their children, as well as by young adults. During the summer holiday, sales of these items jumped nearly 50 percent compared with the same period last year.
Data from an e-commerce platform shows that in 2024, the annual sales of doll outfits rose more than 117.08 percent year on year, with May alone generating over 10 million yuan in revenue.
According to Li Yongjian, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the rise of designer toys is driving strong demand for related products, reflecting the vitality of China’s emerging consumer market.
Li added that consumption today is increasingly about emotions and self-expression. "Products like doll clothing, or even doll makeovers, allow for secondary creativity, making each doll unique," Li expressed.
In Tongxiang, a clothing company with a history of over 20 years has recently entered the knitted creative cultural products. Shen Yue, manager of the company’s cultural and creative department, said that creative knitted products give the brand a more fun and youthful image.
"We craft our own hand-blended yarn, with designers shaping the color palettes and production process to ensure each item is truly unique," said Shen.
As a company that exports overseas, Shen said many long-term foreign clients are showing strong interest in China’s doll clothing. "By the end of this year, we expect to produce 8,000 to 10,000 doll outfits," Shen said.
In Yiwu, known as "the world’s supermarket," doll clothing manufacturers are seeing a surge in international orders, particularly from South America, North America, Japan, and South Korea.
Li pointed out that unlike Barbie or Disney dolls, which have predefined storylines, toys like Labubu carry strong emotional value and leave room for creative expression.
This trend of consumption is pushing China’s traditional garment industry to explore new consumer markets, enhance design capabilities, and leverage its manufacturing strengths, creating a global craze for Chinese doll outfits, Li said.
Data shows that the global designer toy market grew from $20.3 billion in 2020 to $41.8 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 19.8 percent. It is projected to reach $52 billion by 2025. As the global designer toy market continues to flourish, doll clothing exports will embrace more opportunities.
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0827/c90000-20358051.html