Holy Miyazaki — 'Spirited Away' x Loewe Is Being Resold for Thousands
Run, don't walk — Loewe's Spirited Away collection, the luxury label's second Studio Ghibli collaboration, has officially hit the resale market.
One week after releasing and promptly selling out online, the collection's whimsical apparel, bags, homeware, and accessories are being peddled for eyebrow-raising prices.
Take one eBay listing for the range's least-expensive item, a Susuwatari-printed candle, as an example.
Priced at a rather unrealistic $451,049, the decoration is valued (at least by one ambitious seller) at over 2,000 times its original MSRP of $220.
The extreme pricing could be a user error, as the seller is located in Japan and might've intended to list it for ¥451,049 (about $3,955) — but it's still pretty bad gouging.
Marginally more reasonable, listings for the Susuwatari Puzzle purse, the Chihiro Amazona 28 bag, and the Yubaba tote are priced at upwards of $5,000.
On Grailed, prospective buyers can find clothing from the collaboration at similarly inflated figures.
Sweaters printed with Boh, Yubaba's infant son, in lovable mouse form are fetching up to $2,600.
Not ready to invest in a collection whose hype is destined to eventually wear off?
Sellers are even touting Loewe x Studio Ghibli-branded shopping bags, notecards, and notebooks — packaging and promotional materials distributed by Loewe — as collectibles worth hundreds of dollars.
(MSCHF, whose latest project riffed on the very phenomenon of designer shopping bags as status symbols, would be proud.)
Some online digging also revealed that Hot Topic recently dropped its own Spirited Away merch just before the holidays, including a Susuwatari cardigan, priced at a very modest $55 (chump change, compared to Loewe's admittedly fancier $1,300 version).
Loewe x Spirited Away sent hordes of Hayao Miyazaki fans, myself included, into a frenzy, generating massive crowds outside of the brand's New York City flagship last week.
Thanks to eBay (and Hot Topic's unexpectedly relevant Studio Ghibli wares), it's not too late to get in on the fun whatever your price range.
