While walking in Hangzhou’s Hangzhou Iron and Steel Park, the author unexpectedly realized the secret of Bubble Mart’s trendy toy Labubu “ugly and cute” but exploded. Behind these two seemingly unrelated phenomena—the aesthetic revival of industrial relics and the explosion of trendy toys—lies what Kant called the aesthetic principle of “purposeless purposefulness”. This article will take you through an in-depth analysis of the aesthetic code behind the “ugly” design from a philosophical, psychological and business perspective, and how it has aroused widespread resonance and commercial success in modern society.
After visiting Hangzhou’s Hangzhou Iron and Steel Park on the weekend, I slowly understood what Kant called “purposeless purposefulness”, and then began to understand that what Wang Ning, the founder of Bubble Mart, said was “useless” that things are truly eternal.
The former cold steel giants of Hangzhou Iron and Steel Park have now been transformed into unique industrial aesthetic landmarks in the city; One is Labubu, a trendy toy that is popular all over the world, but its “ugly and ugly” appearance has made countless young people crazy; Two seemingly incompatible phenomena have something in common.
Hanggang Park: The “aimless” reincarnation of industrial relics
Hanggang Park.
This once roaring steel plant, those towering blast furnaces, dense pipelines, and winding transportation tracks, were designed and built for the sole purpose of efficient steelmaking, the pursuit of durability, safety and production capacity. They are typical“Objective Purpose Device”。
When the factory stops, these steel giants lose their original, external, productive function. They were once regarded as “idle ruins” in urban renewal and even faced the fate of being demolished.
However, Mr. Jiakun chose another way, cleverly preserving the rusty texture and grand scale of these steel structures, transforming the former blast furnace into an observation deck and turning the cast iron machine room into an amphitheater. These operations completely eliminate their original production functions.
We wander through it, no longer caring about the melting indicators of steel, and no longer thinking about the production efficiency of machines. We were struck by the rough lines, the mottled rust, and the sheer volume. When standing at the foot of the blast furnace and looking up at the industrial giant that soars into the sky, one experiences a kind of fear and aweSublime emotions。 This experience corresponds to what Kant called “the mind’s awareness of its own abilities” – in the face of a huge and infully grasped form, we feel our own insignificance, but at the same time realize that as a rational being, we can transcend this insignificance, thus producing an inner pleasure. This sense of sublimity stems from the grandeur of form, not from the practical effect.
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The park also hosts various concerts, pop-up events and art exhibitions, which give industrial relics a new social interactive function, but its core charm is still the free imagination and aesthetic experience brought by those grand and unique steel forms themselves. They are reborn from “purposeful” tools to “purposeless” works of art.
What is “purposeless purposefulness”?
In his “Critique of Judgment”, Kant made a distinction between “purposefulness”. He divided “purposefulness” into two types: one is“Objective Purpose”, the other is“Subjective Purposefulness”。
- Objective purposefulnessIt is easy to understand, that is, it refers to the existence of an object for a certain external function. For example, a chair is meant to be sitting on it; A steelmaking furnace, its purpose is to make steel. It has a clear, external, practical function.
- whereasSubjective and purposeful, it is more abstract. It refers to the fact that when we appreciate an object, we do not consider its practical function, but its form itself can stimulate a kind in the “mind” of our subject“Ensemble of Freedom”。 Kant believed that this ensemble refers to a harmonious and free interaction between our imagination and our intellect (understanding).
When our aesthetic judgment is free from the shackles of utilitarianism, that is, when we do not consider what “uses” the object is, the object presents a kind of“Aimless”state. But strangely, although it has no external purpose, its form just meets the needs of our imagination and intellectual free play, so Kant called it“Purposeless purposefulness”。
In this state, the aesthetic pleasure we produce does not depend on any concept (such as “this is a cute toy” or “This is a magnificent building”) or any utilitarianism (such as “this toy makes money” or “this park cools off”). This kind of pleasure is only based on the feeling given to us by the form of the object, and this feeling, which Kant believes has “subjective universality”, that is, although it is a subjective experience, this experience can be understood and shared by most people, so it can arouse emotional resonance.
Ugly, why is it fanatically sought after?
After understanding the heritage preserved by Hanggang Park and applying it to Labubu, you will find that everything becomes clear.
Labubu’s design is very interesting: it has exaggerated big ears and pointed teeth, which looks a bit fierce, but at the same time, its body is very soft and round, and the overall proportions also break the traditional sense of “aesthetic regularity”. This“Contrast cute”Visually creates a strong one“Defamiliarization”Effect. When people see it for the first time, they often feel a little surprised or even a little “ugly”.
This sense of “ugliness” forces us to abandon the aesthetic standards we are usually used to, such as the utilitarian measure of “beautiful-regular”. We cannot frame it with the conventional concept of “cuteness” or “beauty”, nor can we immediately find a clear practical function from it (it is just an ornament).
When this utilitarian aesthetic framework collapses in an instant, we are no longer limited by “what it should look like”, but let our imagination move freely between “ugly” and “cute”, trying to understand this contradictory beauty. Ugly fangs and cute postures compensate for each other in our imagination, and finally generate a new and unique aesthetic order – “ugly cuteness”.
What’s more interesting is that Labubu, as an IP, has its own character setting and family narrative. This narrative provides consumers with an entrance to emotional projection. Different people can project their childhood memories, yearning for a rebellious spirit, or seek a healed emotion on Labubu. This can triggerSubjective universal resonancefurther strengthens the sense of identity and dissemination of the community.
The randomness of the blind box mechanism extends the time of this “free game” indefinitely. In the process of extraction, guessing, collection and exchange, consumers repeatedly experience the kind of non-utilitarian purposeExpectation and pleasure。 Every time you open a box, it is a “free game” of aesthetics and surprises. As for the high premium in the secondary market, it seems to be a pure utilitarian behavior, but it just proves the scarcity and shareability of the metaphysical pleasure brought by Labubu as a “social currency”. People are willing to pay a premium for this kind of “beauty” that is recognized by the group and can resonate.
The common point of aesthetic codes
Now, we can clearly see what exists between Labubu and Hanggang Parkisomorphism：
1) From “purposeful device” to “purposeless purposefulness”:
Labubu was originally a mischievous character in picture books with a specific narrative function. Hangzhou Iron and Steel’s equipment is purely for steelmaking. They are all devices that serve a clear “purpose”.
However, when they are placed in a new cultural context (trendy toy markets, urban parks), their original purpose gradually disappears. Labubu’s “ugly cuteness” is no longer for scary people or some kind of plot, and Hangzhou Steel’s steel structure is no longer for production. At this time, their formal beauty began to stand out and entered the stage of “purposeless suitability”.
2) The “defamiliarization” of the form and the “tremor” of the soul:
Labubu’s exaggerated fangs and offbeat smile, like the mottled rusty skin on a blast furnace, evoke a unique vibration in the viewer’s heart because of the proportions and cognition that go beyond our daily lives. This sense of “strangeness” prompts us to abandon utilitarian judgment and enter a pure aesthetic experience.
3) Spread of subjective universality:
Consumers shared the joy of buying Labubu and their collection experience on social platforms, while tourists were keen to check in and take photos in Hanggang Park to share the shocking experience brought by the giant structure. This is all about externalizing the subjective pleasure of the individual through social media and completing the dissemination of subjective universality.
4) The new “external purpose” revolves around the original charm:
Labubu’s secondary creations, co-branded shoes, etc., as well as concerts and immersive theaters held in Hanggang Park, are all new “external purposes” given based on the charm of the original form. But the success of these new commercial and cultural activities has always revolved around their unique original form of charm that can trigger “aimless aesthetics”. This proves that its core aesthetic value is the source of lasting appeal.
Future inspiration with purposefulness
Labubu’s “ugly miracle” and the industrial aesthetic revival of Hangzhou Steel Park, these two seemingly unrelated phenomena, finally found a common underlying logic under the framework of Kant’s “purposeless purposefulness”. Together, they prove that aesthetic pleasure does not have to depend on traditional aesthetic paradigms, but can come from the free and harmonious docking between form and mind.
In this era of rapid change, when external functions and practical values become more and more easily replicated and surpassed, truly lasting competitiveness may come precisely from this purposeful innovation.
