Everything’s Coming Up Sprouts

By+Kylee+McIntyre

Gulou in Beijing is a unique experience in and of itself—the area is one of the more foreign-dominated areas of the city， but the area doesnt carry the same air of Westernization that Sanlitun or Wudaokou do， or the same flashy tourism aesthetic present in central neighborhoods like Wangfujing. Sure， there are expat-friendly hutong bars， and people can buy their share of tourist paraphernalia， but Gulou appears not to have pigeon holed itself into any genre. Perhaps thats part of its charm and what made it the perfect stage for the introduction to the new fashion trend sweeping China and the Internet.

The trend is deceptively simple—a small hairclip on which is glued a plastic or silk plant sprout that sticks straight up into the air. The“bean sprout hairclip，” as it has been dubbed by the American news and humor website Buzzfeed， has turned many a head in Beijing—turning the city into a veritable burgeoning garden—and led those unfamiliar with the trend in China and on the Internet to ask， “Why？”

Clipbait

The sprouts in Gulou and other surrounding areas in Beijing are conveniently sold on the street along with other accessories and electronics. The small size of the clips lends themselves well to makeshift displays， often clipped to the sides of cardboard boxes. Prices start at 5 yuan（$0.78） for a single sprout clip and may vary if one haggles. Those who want a little more color can buy a barrette decked out in flowers or with famous cartoon likenesses like Hello Kitty.

What makes the fashion trend so unique is that it took root not in Chinas more modernized cities like Shanghai or Beijing but rather in Chengdu in southwest Chinas Sichuan Province. Stranger still is that the world was talking about it before Beijing. Buzzfeeds article， aptly given the clickbait-friendly title “People in China are Obsessed With These Adorable Bean Sprout Hairclips，” written by Gyan Yankovich， an Australia-based writer， was published on September 8， around the time that the trend was taking root in Beijing.

Sophie Xu， a self-described “feminine”fashionista who has made large eye-catching hair accessories of all descriptions part of her personal style， had heard that the fashion was regional but hadnt realized that it had caught on in Beijing until she saw her friend—a foreigner， of all people—sporting the trinket.

“I first heard about [the sprout clips] from Weibo， the Chinese version of Twitter，” Xu said. “It started in the tourism areas in Sichuan Province.”

Xu found herself a little bewildered by the craze but observed that it was catching on. “I think its fun [and] cute， but also I think the trend will stay as a trend， meaning it will be in for a while and out before we realize it.”

Xu observed that the trend would be most practical for children with its cartoon-character and nature themes， which makes sense—except the fads appeal is not limited to children. A simple walk around Beijing in Gulou and the subway reveals numerous people wearing variations of the sprout clip in their hair and on the straps of their purses—women and men alike. The clip bears a resemblance to the butterfly clip trend of the 1990s and the current American flower crown trend. The latter has popped up in recent years as a staple of what Vogue calls the “neo-hippie festival crowd，” followers of a quasi-intellectual romantic-seeming millennial subculture who like to get down with their natural selves at weekend outdoor music festivals like Coachella.

Flower crowns are exactly what they sound like—real or fake （usually fake） flowers tied， clipped or bound together in a circle， meant to be worn on the head as a fashion statement that is both regal and natural. Chinese film icon Fan Bingbing recently sported the flowers as part of a flower-inspired spring ensemble at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Could the bean sprout hairclip be an offshoot of the flower crown hair trend， perhaps even the next step in the trends evolution？ Perhaps， but the accessorys country of origin appears to be of little consequence to Chinese people who are proudly turning their hair into makeshift greenhouses or Western audiences， who are divided on the accessory.

Beijing businessman Jose Herrera belongs to the negative faction， and having heard that I was conducting interviews on the trend （while， incidentally， also wearing a few of my own clips in my hair）， he eagerly hunted me down.

“They look ridiculous，” Herrera said. “The first time I saw someone [wearing them] I wanted to help them get the junk out of their hair.”

He also observed that the trend is unabashedly Chinese-centric.

“They dont have clips to match any other hair color other than black， so if you are not Asian， it doesnt work well with your hair color，” he said.

A budding craze

The bean sprout hairclip is the latest object of curiosity in the Western world—most predominantly American clickbait media—derived from East Asian fashion， which has for a long time been dominated by Japanese—and， more recently， South Korean—fashion trends. Several kilometers of ocean have not stopped people all over the world from trying to emulate each others fashion subcultures.

Chinese fashion itself is quite the overseas fash-ination， not just on the Internet or among the festival-going crowd but on a more highbrow stage， as evidenced by the Met Gala choosing China： Through the Looking Glass as its theme for its prestigious world-class fashion gala and exhibition this year. Held at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art， the event is famous for pushing the boundaries of fashion and challenging couture designers to bring out some of their most flamboyant works. The 2015 event certainly brought elegance to the table—according to The Guardian， it boasted the highest attendance of any exhibit in the museums history.

Thomas Lin， who lives in the southern United States， is an avid practitioner of the Japanese Lolita fashion subculture—geographic and cultural differences have not stopped him and his Lolita community from celebrating the fashion subculture with “tea parties” and conventions themed around the style.

“I think the biggest [challenge to Chinese fashion making a more international presence] would be identifying what exactly would be considered Chinese fashion/subculture， aside from the obvious traditional or Oriental look，” Lin said.

However， Lin believes that individuality is no problem for Chinese fashionistas， who have distinctive styles； it will just take a while for the world to take notice—though， through the sprout fashion， it appears perhaps it already has.

“[In my opinion， Chinese fashion is] a little similar to [South] Korean street fashion， where its more clean-cut and sleek. Japanese street fashion， I guess what could be considered more‘normal street fashion， is similar but also has a kind of a strange quirk to it？ I would love to have a more modern Chinese street flare to my everyday wardrobe.”

Though Lin is American， his love of fashion has influenced him to look more into cultures across the Pacific. “One of the biggest impacts， however， is that Ive made so many good friends through it. I honestly love the local community here， and Ive also made international friends who are also into the fashion，” Lin said.

When asked about the clip trend in China specifically， Lin said he had indeed heard of it through the Internet and thought it was “cute”and “a little strange，” though not overwhelmingly so. When asked if he would wear them， though， he lit up.

“I absolutely love it！” he exclaimed， his tone suddenly becoming excitable. “It is so adorable， and I need like 12 of them on my head right this instant！”

Lin believes globalization extends to fashion as much as it does to business and scientific fields. “Street fashion as it is now is already quite a big blend of influences from all around the world. I feel like parts of what is popular in street fashion in the West already can be easily connected to similar trends and looks that are popular in China，” he said.

With Lins advice in mind， it seems that Chinas tiny sprout fad may actually be part of a beanstalk that has been growing for years. As the Internet community has shown most recently， China is a country that the world wants to get to know， not just as a business outlet or a technology warehouse but as a distinct personality influenced by a rich history but also modernized with its own flairs and quirks. How fitting and poetic that the gateway to that discovery is a tiny bean sprout， poised to grow.