Inside Naomi Osaka’s $495 Labubu Mascots: The Stunning 13-Hour Craft That’s Captivating the U.S. Open—And What It Means for Fans!

Ever wondered what it takes to add a dash of sparkle to the high-stakes drama of a U.S. Open quarterfinal? Well, just hours before Naomi Osaka steps onto the court, Kerin Rose Gold is in full-on “crystallize mode”—literally juggling last-minute sparkle magic to deliver a one-of-a-kind Labubu, or “Lablingbling,” destined to be Osaka’s glam lucky charm. These glitzy, tennis-inspired charm dolls are not just accessories; they’re tributes, each named after legendary tennis icons like Billie Jean King and Arthur Ashe. It’s like fashion met tennis royalty on a glittery collision course, and Gold’s adrenaline is running wild—no wonder she’s barely clocked four hours of sleep! If you thought the U.S. Open was all about serves and volleys, think again—there’s a whole constellation of sparkle and style happening off the court. Curious how these bedazzled mini-muses come to life and why fans can’t get enough? Let’s dive into the dazzling world Kerin Rose Gold is shaping, one couture charm at a time. LEARN MORE

When I call her just a few hours to go before her client Naomi Osaka takes the court for the U.S. Open women’s quarterfinals on Wednesday night, Kerin Rose Gold warns me that she needs “to crystallize through our call.”

Gold, you see, is the woman behind the sparkly, tennis-themed Labubus (or “Lablingblings,” as Gold calls them) Osaka has been famously toting to her matches during the tournament, each one named after and inspired by a different tennis icon. There’s Billie Jean Bling, decked out in red rhinestones to match Osaka’s round one match outfit, and Arthur Flashe, in iridescent purple to complement the tennis star’s second look. Then there’s LaBillieBu made in Billie Jean King’s likeness with red specs, and Althea Glitterson, whose namesake is Althea Gibson.

Gold won’t reveal what Labubu Osaka, 27, will be bringing Wednesday night, but it needs to make it to Arthur Ashe Stadium by 7 p.m. ET. “It’s on my table right now,” she tells Yahoo. “Shortly after we get off the phone, I will be running this one uptown to drop off with the person who will be passing it off to her.” It’s 3:30 at that moment.

“My adrenaline has been crazy, and I’ve not been able to sleep more than four hours a night,” Gold says. She’s the founder of a-morir and a designer of avant-garde accessories who has worked with the likes of Rihanna, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. But her take on the Labubu craze is quickly becoming her signature. “I’m trying to enjoy the moment and take it as it comes,” she says.

Labubu to Lablingbling

Gold is known for turning ordinary items like sunglasses, pill bottles and tissue box holders into extraordinary pieces by adding a bit of bling. An experiment with creating bag charms led her to make her own version of a Labubu, which people have been hanging from Birkins.

“Labubu has become so ubiquitous, it felt like an everyday item to me. I thought, this is the perfect thing to flip,” she says. “I figured out a way to 3D print one and then crystallized it.”

Gold took the piece on a test run to a party with friends, where it initially went unnoticed. As soon as one person caught a glimpse of the sparkly doll, she says, “it literally became a mob scene. It was as if this crystallized Labubu was a celebrity.” She knew she had something special on her hands.

Her little creatures are made completely from scratch, hence their original name Lablingbling. They each take about five hours to print and up to eight hours to bedazzle. But the reaction to her first design made the effort seem worth it.

On June 20, Gold put a few colorways and sizes for sale on her website priced at as much as $495 per figure.

Arthur Flashe to Arthur Ashe

Osaka’s longtime hairstylist, Marty Harper, contacted Gold to see if she’d be interested in working on Osaka’s red rose hair accessories for her first U.S. Open match.

“I had the little Lablingblings out when Marty came to my studio. We were having this meeting about the roses and going over logistics, design and concept, all of that. And I was like, ‘Do you think she’d be into a Naomi Leblingbling to match each one of her outfits?” recalls Gold.

Gold made the first one look like the tennis player, down to the red outfit, and then made a second one to match the purple headphones Osaka would wear for the second round. “She wanted to give them a name,” says Gold. “The only name I can take credit for is Billie Jean Bling. That truly may have been some of my best work.” Next came Arthur Flashe, a nod to the late tennis great Arthur Ashe.

Osaka wanted more Lablingblings and started requesting the creatures be made with specific figures in mind — namely, Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson. Gold does the designing and gets approval from Osaka before bringing each to life.

They aren’t made ahead of time, Gold says, but only as Osaka is confirmed for the tournament’s next round.

Lablingbling and beyond

While Gold remains tight-lipped about what Lablingbling Osaka will be bringing with her to the women’s quarterfinal, the designer is hopeful that it won’t disappoint. “Every time it’s sort of the best one yet,” she says. “I’m not saying anything more.”

Whatever it is, it’ll be on sale on Gold’s site for a limited time, along with the special editions that have already debuted. “The plan is to keep them up until the end of the U.S. Open, which wraps September 8. But because they’ve been getting so much love, there is a chance that I will extend that for an extra week,” she says. “I’ve heard from a lot of people that they don’t want to make their purchase until they see all of them, so I think it’s also important to give those people a chance to pick their favorite.”