Labubu-creator Kasing Lung ventures into collectible furniture with USM
Illustrations of Kasing Lung's infamous Labubu character are emblazoned on classic white USM Haller cabinets as part of a collaboration unveiled by the Swiss furniture maker at Milan design week.
The Beautiful Thing! collection consists of two limited-edition furniture pieces – a sideboard and shelving unit – plus a Labubu figurine sitting on a tiny replica of a USM chair.
This toothy little gremlin character was originally conceived by Lung as part of his illustrated book series The Monsters in 2015.
Later, it was brought to life in the form of collectible plushies and figurines that sparked a buying frenzy across the globe, inspiring memes, brawls, copycat "Lafufus" and eye-watering auction sales, with one human-sized Labubu going under the hammer for more than $150,000 (£111,000).
Now, Lung has printed his most popular creation, alongside characters from the wider Monsters universe, onto the fronts of USM's seminal Haller storage units, as part of the illustrator's debut foray into furniture.
"Kasing Lung is a big fan of USM," Jon Thorson, CEO of USM North America, told Dezeen.
"And Lee Howard, the owner of How2Work, who represents the artist and makes the toys, is also a big USM fan. So they were excited to have Kasing's first furniture collaboration be with us."
Aside from the furniture, the collaboration also includes a new Labubu character called Bob, with a severe orange fringe, stripey red top and USM ball joint in hand. It was produced in a limited edition of 100 and sold out in a single day.
Ultimately, though, Thorson says the hope is that the collaboration will draw attention to Lung's lesser-known work as an illustrator, rather than just a maker of viral toys.
"Kasing moved from Hong Kong to the Netherlands as a kid, and his parents had a Chinese restaurant, where he would just sit and draw," he explained. "He invented this whole world, what she calls The Monsters."
"But probably not that many people know him as an artist," he added. "So we thought there was an opportunity there, because it's an interesting story that needs to be told and he deserves so much credit."
Elsewhere at Milan design week, USM is also presenting an immersive installation in collaboration with architecture firm Snøhetta.
The Dezeen team is on the ground, reporting from the industry's most important event of the year, where other highlights include a modular building system based on the Eames House, Aesop's first lighting design and paper furniture from Issey Miyake.
Wonderland of The Monsters takes place from 20 April to 25 April 2026 at Via San Marco 26, Milan, Italy. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.
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