Trools Fashion
Furry Trolls Are Taking Over the World of Fashion
A crowd of fashion industry insiders whipped out their phones as a pair of bizarre attendees popped onto the runway just before Fendi's Milan fashion show earlier this year. One was dressed as a chipper pink bug with giant crystal eyes; the other, a surly blue fuzzball with a resentful stare. Both looked as if they’d wandered out of a child’s fantasy land. Waving as they twirled down the runway, the Fendirumi, as they’re called, took their seats and waited for Kendall Jenner to lead the models onto the catwalk.
It was a silly stunt from a serious fashion label, but one based on some serious money. Those monsters aren’t mere curios–they have corresponding products, namely keychains meant to dangle from the handle of a really expensive handbag. The tiny versions of those mascots cost $1,500 each and are just two in a full line of freaky beasts and trolls that have sparked an international fashion trend.
Since Fendi first unveiled its strange charms in 2013, fashion labels have rushed to release their own. Adrienne Landau, Furla, and Kendall + Kylie each have their own lines of pom-poms. Prada sells a cutesy set of bear and robot charms. Anya Hindmarch is pushing quirky clip-on coin purses, decorative tassels, and leather stickers. It’s trickled all the way down to such everyday mall shops as Express, Charlotte Russe, and Wet Seal. Each are seeking a heftier chunk of the $102 billion U.S. personal accessories market, a stupendous figure arrived at by market research firm Euromonitor.
That includes everything from fine jewelry and leather goods to luggage and fancy pens.
For the fashion labels, the less-expensive versions of these items provide a way to grab new customers who can’t afford their pricier wares, or get them to tack on an additional purchase at the cash register.
Indeed, the little items have proved a lucrative trend that’s gaining prominence within women’s wardrobes. Karen Giberson, president of the Accessories Council, a trade group, said this is one of her industry’s hottest categories now. Not just charms, but pins, decals, stickers, and patches are all having an extended fashion moment.
There’s “a mood for frivolous, fun, tongue-in-cheek, playful accessories,” said Ella Hudson, an accessories analyst at fashion trend intelligence firm WGSN.
There are backpacks that look like snarling animals and shawls covered in eyeballs. Watches have indignant faces, and double-wrap bracelets are adorned with angry peepers. Even Fendi’s most iconic handbags—the Baguette and the Peekaboo—have gotten monstrous makeovers. A spokesman for Fendi declined to comment on the bag-bug business.
Hanging charms and trinkets from accessories isn’t a new concept. Kids and teens have been at it for decades. In the 1990s, they’d spangle their bags with all sorts of tchotchkes nabbed from shops such as Claire’s. You’d see backpacks laden in Hello Kitty decorations and keychains. Charm bracelets, stuffed with way too many charms, would be looped around their wrists.
“Charms help mark the milestones in your life, things that define you,” said Nancy Deihl, director of Costume Studies at New York University. “That’s what accessories are supposed to do.”
The fashion industry wasn’t blind to bubbling trends, and it has dived into these add-ons many times. As far back as the 1930s, luxury houses started running beaded handbags and glitzy accessories down runways, looking for new ways to accessorize. Perhaps the biggest influence came from one of the most famous handbag styles of all time. The Kelly, made by French luxury house Hermes and named after actress Grace Kelly, was originally a saddle holder. Every bag has a little gold padlock and key, and fashionable folks would tie a scarf around the handle for a bit of extra flair.
Why strap a furry, wide-eyed oddity to a sleek handbag? It makes a purse radiate more of the wearer’s personality, an assertive statement of individuality that pops. And by pairing accessories with other accessories, you can mix-and-match charms, depending on the weather, mood, or the event you’re headed to. It becomes less likely that you’ll find another person with a matching combination. Potential looks and unexplored outfits increase exponentially.
It was a silly stunt from a serious fashion label, but one based on some serious money. Those monsters aren’t mere curios–they have corresponding products, namely keychains meant to dangle from the handle of a really expensive handbag. The tiny versions of those mascots cost $1,500 each and are just two in a full line of freaky beasts and trolls that have sparked an international fashion trend.
Since Fendi first unveiled its strange charms in 2013, fashion labels have rushed to release their own. Adrienne Landau, Furla, and Kendall + Kylie each have their own lines of pom-poms. Prada sells a cutesy set of bear and robot charms. Anya Hindmarch is pushing quirky clip-on coin purses, decorative tassels, and leather stickers. It’s trickled all the way down to such everyday mall shops as Express, Charlotte Russe, and Wet Seal. Each are seeking a heftier chunk of the $102 billion U.S. personal accessories market, a stupendous figure arrived at by market research firm Euromonitor.
That includes everything from fine jewelry and leather goods to luggage and fancy pens.
For the fashion labels, the less-expensive versions of these items provide a way to grab new customers who can’t afford their pricier wares, or get them to tack on an additional purchase at the cash register.
Indeed, the little items have proved a lucrative trend that’s gaining prominence within women’s wardrobes. Karen Giberson, president of the Accessories Council, a trade group, said this is one of her industry’s hottest categories now. Not just charms, but pins, decals, stickers, and patches are all having an extended fashion moment.
Adding whimsy to serious fashion
Charms bring a playful whimsy to high fashion, an industry that has a habit of taking itself too seriously. For Fendi, a 91-year-old Italian fashion house with a penchant for extravagant fur coats and accessories, the cute puffs infuse a sense of fun. Though the label is renowned worldwide for its meticulously crafted fur goods, these styles bring a flourish of outlandish kitsch, for which shoppers are clamoring these days. Labels have shifted to a more irreverent tone, infusing stodgy brands with some fun.
There are backpacks that look like snarling animals and shawls covered in eyeballs. Watches have indignant faces, and double-wrap bracelets are adorned with angry peepers. Even Fendi’s most iconic handbags—the Baguette and the Peekaboo—have gotten monstrous makeovers. A spokesman for Fendi declined to comment on the bag-bug business.
Hanging charms and trinkets from accessories isn’t a new concept. Kids and teens have been at it for decades. In the 1990s, they’d spangle their bags with all sorts of tchotchkes nabbed from shops such as Claire’s. You’d see backpacks laden in Hello Kitty decorations and keychains. Charm bracelets, stuffed with way too many charms, would be looped around their wrists.
“Charms help mark the milestones in your life, things that define you,” said Nancy Deihl, director of Costume Studies at New York University. “That’s what accessories are supposed to do.”
The fashion industry wasn’t blind to bubbling trends, and it has dived into these add-ons many times. As far back as the 1930s, luxury houses started running beaded handbags and glitzy accessories down runways, looking for new ways to accessorize. Perhaps the biggest influence came from one of the most famous handbag styles of all time. The Kelly, made by French luxury house Hermes and named after actress Grace Kelly, was originally a saddle holder. Every bag has a little gold padlock and key, and fashionable folks would tie a scarf around the handle for a bit of extra flair.
Why strap a furry, wide-eyed oddity to a sleek handbag? It makes a purse radiate more of the wearer’s personality, an assertive statement of individuality that pops. And by pairing accessories with other accessories, you can mix-and-match charms, depending on the weather, mood, or the event you’re headed to. It becomes less likely that you’ll find another person with a matching combination. Potential looks and unexplored outfits increase exponentially.
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