When Fashion Designers Build-A-Bear

Most of us have a favorite childhood toy of the stuffed animal variety that we've treasured for as long as we can remember. Mine is a little tiger named Salem (after the cat from Sabrina the Teenage Witch) who's developing bald spots from being so well-loved. I was never a teddy bear girl, but perhaps if I'd gotten my hands on a Build-A-Bear designed by Vivienne Westwood things would have been different.

A slew of fashion designers and celebrities created teddy bears for a special Sotheby's auction that benefits Operation Bobbi Bear, "a South African Non-Profit Organization that works on behalf of sexually abused children and helps minimize the risks of an HIV-infection at the point of rescue." Naturally, the results are super cool. I guarantee you have never seen children's toys look so hip before.

The auction took place on December 8th so it's unfortunately too late for you to snag one of these adorable plush toys for yourself, but you can still check out all the bears online. There are designs from the likes of Versace, Diesel's Nicola Formichetti, Karl Lagerfeld, Adam Lambert, and Moschino. My personal favorite has got to be Philip Treacy's, which features only an elegant hat worthy of Kate Middleton. Take a look at a few of the best ones below!

Philip Treacy

Nicola Formichetti

Vivienne Westwood

Moschino

Dita von Teese

Images: Bobbi Bear Auction