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Lip balm on your phone case. A backpack on a Stanley. A Labubu for your Labubu. Cute branded accessories are nothing new. For decades, consumers have been enticed by the prospect of collecting aesthetically pleasing knickknacks, from Troll dolls to Tamagotchis. Recently, though, the accessory craze has taken a meta turn: Every accessory now needs to have its own accessory. Consider the recent excitement around Labubu dolls as a prime example. These bug-eyed elves, designed for the sole purpose of being attached to a bag or clothing, helped their parent company, Pop Mart, triple its profits in 2024 to a total of $920 million. The fever is still raging, with fans clambering to buy new colors and stylesand even potentially dangerous knockoffs. As quirky bag charms like the Labubu have taken off, the accessorys accessory has become part of the mainstream. Its been legitimized by major brands like Prada, which sells a $1,350 robot bag charm; Louis Vuitton, which offers a beaded phone strap that can only be purchased by contacting the company; and, most recently, Kendall Jenners 818 tequila brand, which turned its mini shooters into a keychain. “Accessory-ception” appears to be a new way for brands across a diverse range of categories to tap into the demand for collectiblesand a sure sign that accessory culture has gone too far. Here are four of the wildest accessories for accessories weve seen so far. [Photo: Rhode] Rhode phone case Rhodes $35 lip gloss phone cases, which debuted in February 2024, are exactly what they sound like: two custom phone cases with purpose-built slots for carrying (Rhode-branded) lip gloss. Before they even launched, both cases already had a waitlist. After they sold out and relaunched two months later, those waitlists numbered in the hundreds of thousands. The lip case inspired hundreds of TikTok reviews, DIY tutorials, and even a parody from Heinz ketchupand its success showed other brands that the meta accessory could serve as both a popular collectible and a wearable marketing opportunity. [Photo: Stanley] Stanley backpacks The Stanley tumbler, which absolutely dominated the internetand cupholders nationwidein late 2023 and early 2024, has become perhaps the most famous canvas for the endless accessorization cycle. Stanley itself sells a backpack of sorts for its famous tumbler, as well as a keychain for said tumbler that’s also shaped like, you guessed it, a tumbler. But the Stanley accessorization gets even stranger in the world of TikTok Stanley packers. Within this subgenre, social media creators have found a shocking number of ways to further accessorize their Stanleys until theyre almost unrecognizable. In one TikTok with 270,000 views, creator @missyysparks shows herself packing her Stanley for Christmas shopping, a task that involves clipping a lip gloss, a container of Tylenol, and a tumbler keychain full of cough drops to the water bottle. In another video with 279,000 views, creator @nicolepamelaaa preps for a hot girl walk by affixing an entire snack platter of cheese and grapes to the top of her cup, as well as tucking a tiny tumbler with a single shot of energy drink into her Stanleys backpack. Is the walk the Oregon Trail by any chance? one commenter wrote. Why does your Stanley have a Stanley? another asked. Our question exactly. [Photo: Trove Brands, LLC] Owala bottle charm In light of this dystopian Stanley accessorization spiral, other water bottle companies have attempted to put their own spin on the trend. This June, Owala collaborated with the jewelry company Made by Mary to create a necklace with a tiny Owala-shaped charm, accompanied by a sparkly Owala bottle with a mini version of itself attached as a charm. The bundle cost $99.99 and sold outgiving Owala superfans a meta-accessory to flex on less deep-pocketed water bottle enthusiasts. [Photo: Getty Images] Labubu for your Labubu Generally, Labubus are the epitome of the meta-accessory trend: They serve no purpose other than to look aesthetically pleasing (debatable), and they can be dressed up in a variety of tiny outfits, which has led third-party sellers to create such necessities as Labubu wigs, jerseys, hats, and car seats. Thus, it was only a matter of time before someone found a way to give a Labubu its own Labubu. One Redditor in the subreddit r/labubu did just that by sourcing a mini version of the doll and affixing it to the original keychain-style. A Labubu for my Labubu, the posts caption reads. It’s a Lalabububu or a Labulabububu, one commenter responded. Another added, Your Labubus Labubu needs a Labubu.”
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E-Commerce
President Donald Trumps administration is expected to rule on a growing backlog of requests from small oil refiners seeking relief from U.S. biofuel laws as early as Friday, but will delay a decision on whether larger refiners must compensate by boosting their own biofuel blending, according to two sources familiar with the planning. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday will announce decisions on some of the 195 pending small refinery exemption requests that date back as far as 2016, the sources said. The rulings will not be a sweeping win for small refiners, and will include some partial denials of waivers, according to one of the sources briefed on the decisions. The administration is also expected to issue a supplemental rule as early as next week to seek public comment on whether larger refiners should make up for the exempted gallons in a process known as reallocation, the source said. How the administration deals with exemption requests and the reallocation issues will have consequences for the oil and agricultural industries, and impact the price of commodities from gasoline and renewable diesel to soybeans and corn, along with the companies that produce them. In the past, widespread exemptions without reallocation have sent renewable blending credit prices lower, denting prices for corn-based ethanol and soybean-based biofuel. The EPA and White House did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard requires refiners to blend biofuels like ethanol into the fuel pool or buy the tradable credits, known as renewable identification numbers (RINs), from refiners who do. Small refiners can petition the EPA to receive an exemption if they can show financial hardship. The EPA has a mounting backlog of such requests going back yearsthe result of political indecision and legal wrangling across multiple administrations. Both the agriculture and the oil industries are keen for a resolution. Granting exemptions without forcing other refiners to make up the difference increases the supply of credits and puts downward pressure on their prices. Farm and biofuel groups have lobbied the EPA to limit the number of exemptions and to force other refiners to make up for exempted gallons. The oil industry is strongly opposed to reallocation, arguing it creates an uneven playing field and imposes burdensome regulatory costs. The EPA said earlier this year that it would force larger refiners to make up for future exempted gallons, but was silent on how it would treat exempt gallons from the dozens of backlogged requests. The supplemental rule will include various options in a bid to test how the market may respond, the sources said. By Jarrett Renshaw, Reuters
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E-Commerce
Youve probably heard of “conscious uncoupling.” But now, Gen Z and other younger members of the workforce have taken up “conscious unbossing” at the office. What is conscious unbossing? It’s not that different from conscious uncoupling, but according to experts, it has to do with Gen Z’s overall disengagement and reluctance to climb the traditional corporate ladderand it’s affecting workplace dynamics and shaping the future of work. Here’s what to know. Wait, first, what’s conscious uncoupling? Back in 2014, actress and wellness guru Gwyneth Paltrow made headlines when she framed her divorce from singer Chris Martin, as a “conscious uncoupling”basically, an amicable split or separation, signaling a lack of drama, while also inferring in a slightly cringe way that the break up is mindful, respectful, and, um, prioritizes healing and growth. (Not surprisingly, this drew the ire of many people, and a lot of mocking of Paltrow.) But now, Gen Z and younger generations are applying that same idea to the office. Well, sort of. In theory, this marks a shift away from the traditional workplace demands, a way to detach from one’s boss. So, what is conscious unbossing? “Conscious unbossing” joins other recent Gen Z workplace trends like quiet cracking, the Gen Z stare, RTO mandates, and general employee disengagementall of which signal that younger workers aren’t happy with how older generations are running the workplace, causing them to either check out on the job, or fully opt out. (It also sounds a lot like quiet quitting.) The workplace trend isn’t exactly newit’s been around for at least a year. And it comes out of younger workers’ growing demand for flat hierarchies, meaningful work, and transparent leadership. Over half of Gen Z workers52% in one studysaid they dont want to pursue middle management roles at all, with 16% refusing any role that puts them in charge of others, according to Jennifer Dulski, founder and CEO of Rising Team, an industry-leading team performance platform. “Gen Z has come of age in an era that includes a global pandemic and the rise of intense incivility and polarization, both of which have led to less connection in the workplace,” Dulski said. “They have also come of age in the era of the Great Betrayal, where many companies no longer do right by their employees. They want a world more focused on connection and helping people feel valued. While some will shun management, others will shun traditional work altogether, and make their own paths as entrepreneurs or freelancerswhile others will become the better leaders of tomorrow, creating a workplace that reflects the world they want to see.” Young talent and emerging leaders are increasingly choosing to opt out of climbing the traditional management ladder, according to global leadership development firm DDI’s Global Leadership Forecast 2025. And Gen Z is 1.7 times more likely than other generations to step away from leadership roles to protect their well-being. As a result, 80% of HR professionals said they lack confidence in their leadership pipelines, with CEOs ranking that concern among their top four concerns. What’s the takeaway for Gen Z in the workplace? Despite the rise of “conscious unbossing,” Dulski said the next generation will emerge as a new kind of manager, for whom AI and technology is central in how they manage their teams. The managers job in this new world of work isnt about control, Dulski explains: “Its about using technology to create an environment where people are deeply connected . . . Thats what makes teams better, faster and stronger together.”
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E-Commerce
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