Featured Posts

To top
31 Aug

What to Watch: The Power of K-pop

The K-pop frenzy continues to hit latest heights.

South Korean pop stars, known for his or her sleek looks, viral dance moves and swelling cultural influence, not only had fans everywhere in the global going crazy, but they’ve captivated the posh world too. Barely every week goes by with no brand signing a K-pop star as an envoy.

No wonder: Fresh-faced idols, a few of whom are rookie acts that achieved astonishing growth in a brief space of time, were greeted by tons of if not hundreds of shrieking fans during fashion weeks in Paris and Milan.

In accordance with Launchmetrics, in the course of the June edition of Paris Men’s Fashion Week, Asian stars helped propel the event’s Media Impact Value, or MIV, by 98 percent year-over-year to succeed in $163.3 million.

The corporate’s proprietary Media Impact Value figure calculates the impact of relevant media placement on all channels, including online, social media and print, and is inclusive of paid, owned and earned mediums.

Nevertheless it’s not only K-pop stars who’re garnering attention. Launchmetrics data showed that inside Asia, Thailand contributed $11.7 million in MIV, almost eight times higher than the previous 12 months. The performance was mainly contributed by celebrities, including Thai actors Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, or Apo, and Phakphum Romsaithong, nicknamed Miles, who were named Thai ambassadors for Dior Men in June.

Balenciaga, a label that noticeably opted out of the K-pop frenzy, quickly snatched up Thai star PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn to seem alongside Isabelle Huppert because the brand’s first ambassadors.

Once a distinct segment presence in the worldwide entertainment scene, Thailand has benefited from K-pop’s spillover effect. It doesn’t hurt that K-pop has numerous popular T-stars already, including Blackpink’s Lisa and (G)i-dle‘s Minnie. The success of BL dramas, or Boy’s Love Dramas, has prompted the Thai government to take an analogous approach to South Korea in promoting the country’s soft power to the world.

With the assistance of K-pop idols Cha Eun-woo, Taeyong, Jackson Wang and Eric Nam, South Korea’s impact during June’s Paris Men’s Fashion Week reached $10 million, achieving an astonishing 297 percent year-over-year growth.

K-pop music critics have noted that fourth-wave, all-girl bands — including NewJeans, Ive, XG, LE Sserafim, Twice, Fifty Fifty, and (G)i-dle — are continuing to drive the frenzy. The dominance of those groups at major music festivals this summer made it evident greater than ever that the genre has exploded in popularity on a worldwide scale.

These “extremely good-looking, well-behaved and classy K-pop stars are ideal ambassadors for luxury brands,” said Daniel Langer, chief executive officer of Équité and professor of luxury strategy at Pepperdine and Latest York University.

“The influence is gigantic inside Asia, but in addition far beyond, including Europe and the U.S.,” added Langer. “K-pop stars have grow to be global tastemakers when it comes to aesthetics.

“There may be also a trend toward more experimental and diverse music, with groups incorporating elements of genres like hip-hop, rock and electronic music into their sound. It will make K-pop more appealing to a wider audience, and likewise more creative and interesting — and much more appealing to luxury brands,” added Langer.

With K-pop itself diversifying, the important thing to forging a successful relationship comes all the way down to “relevancy, reach and synergy with the prevailing DNA of the brand,” explained Paul Jeong, cofounder on the Seoul-based talent agency Altm Group, who worked with talents like Vernon of Seventeen and types resembling Balenciaga, Kenzo and Boss. “Sometimes it may just come all the way down to personal preference and aesthetics,” Jeong added.

The individuality of K-pop fandom comes all the way down to its systematic fan base, which fosters an “organic and intimate” relationships between idol and followers. “K-pop idols are relatable and down-to-earth,” added Langer. “They interact with fans on social media and make themselves available to them.”

“Throughout the lifetime of the group of talent, the culture between the 2, in some ways a fantasy, sets a natural precedence for conversion in sales driven by the fans’ eagerness to participate and support,” added Jeong.

With Asian markets’ growing importance to luxury brands, the K-pop canon is here to remain. Here, a have a look at essentially the most talked-about K-pop groups and the ambassadorships they’ve already scored:

BTS

BTS

ImaZins via Getty Images

Because the world’s most successful boy band, BTS made its debut 10 years ago under Big Hit Entertainment, which later modified its name to Hybe. In 2021, the group became house ambassadors of Louis Vuitton. Later that 12 months, the band began promoting solo endorsements as members began preparing for mandatory military service. With older members, including Jin, J-Hope and Suga, enlisted within the military, younger bandmates resembling Jungkook and V are set to release their solo albums.

Last January, Jimin was named global brand ambassador at Dior; in March he was named house ambassador for Tiffany & Co. The identical month, Suga was appointed Valentino’s brand ambassador, and in Feburary, J-Hope became Louis Vuitton’s global brand ambassador. In March, RM was revealed as Bottega Veneta’s ambassador and V was confirmed as brand ambassador of Celine. V also became Cartier’s newest ambassador with the disclosing of the most recent Panthère de Cartier campaign. Jungkook became the face of Calvin Klein. Jin is serving as an lively soldier and can resume work next 12 months.

Blackpink

INDIO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 22: (L-R) Lisa, Jisoo, Rosé and Jennie of BLACKPINK perform onstage at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 22, 2023 in Indio, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella)

Blackpink at Coachella in April.

Getty Images for Coachella

Blackpink just isn’t only essentially the most successful all-female K-pop group in recent history, however it was also one in all the primary all-female bands to enjoy successful solo careers for all group members. Jennie, the primary Blackpink member to go solo who’s known for her rapping skills, has been a brand ambassador for Chanel since 2017. Lisa, the principal dancer of the group, has worked with Bulgari since 2020 as brand ambassador. Since 2021, Lisa has been the face of Celine. Rosé, the lead vocalist of Blackpink, scored her first brand ambassadorship in 2020 because the face of Saint Laurent. The next 12 months, she was named the ambassador of Tiffany. In 2021, Jisoo, the team leader of Blackpink, was named global ambassador of Dior.

Blackpink was founded by YG Entertainment in 2016. Uncertainties remain over the group’s renewal plan for its contract, which is able to expire at the top of August.

NewJeans

NewJeans as brand ambassadors for Levi's campaign.

NewJeans in Levi’s.

Levi’s


NewJeans, the K-pop sensation launched slightly over a 12 months ago, has been racking up luxury ambassadorships left, right and center. In the autumn of 2022, Hanni became Gucci’s brand ambassador. In January, Hyein became Vuitton’s youngest ambassador at 14; Danielle became Burberry’s first brand ambassador since Daniel Lee signed on as creative director of the home. In February, Minji became brand ambassador for Chanel. The last member to be tapped was Haerin, who snatched the title of Dior brand ambassador in April. As a gaggle, NewJeans has worked with household names resembling Levi’s and Nike. The group partnered with Apple within the band’s “ETA” music video in July.

NCT

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 17: K-pop boy group NCT DREAM attends their album releasing press conference, 'ISTJ', at Lotte World Hotel on July 17, 2023 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images)

NCT Dream

ImaZins via Getty Images

Introduced by SM Entertainment in 2016, NCT is a 23-member boy band that has been divided into five sub-units. In May, NCT’s Jeno became Salvatore Ferragamo’s first global male ambassador; Doyoung was named the primary ambassador for Korea and Japan at Dolce & Gabbana. In June, Taeyong became the brand new face of Loewe. Also in June, NCT’s Jaehyun was named Prada’s ambassador. Doyoung, Taeyong and Jaehyun all belong to the nine-member subgroup NTC Dream, which was devised to focus on U.S. listeners.

Twice

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JANUARY 23: Members of girl group TWICE attend the 8th Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards on January 23, 2019 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/WireImage)

Twice

WireImage

Certainly one of the most important hits from JYP Entertainment, the nine-member girl band was formed in 2015 because the winners of a reality show competition, “Sixteen.” Twice member Dahyun was recently appointed a Michael Kors global brand ambassador. Momo became a Miu Miu brand ambassador; Sana was named Graff’s first brand ambassador in Japan, in addition to YSL Beauty Japan’s muse. Nayeon was named Givenchy Beauty’s brand ambassador in February.

Enhypen

The seven members of K-pop band Enhypen are Prada's latest ambassadors.

Enhypen in Prada.

Courtesy of Prada

The seven-member boy band — which incorporates Heeseung, Jay, Jake, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Jungwon, and Ni-ki — was named house ambassadors of Ami in 2021. After attending their first show in January, the band secured an ambassadorship take care of Prada in June. The K-pop group was created through the 2020 idol survival show “I-Land,” produced by Hybe. The band counts greater than 12 million followers on Instagram.

Ive

Ive perform during the

Ive

Korea Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The six-member South Korean girl group, created by Starship Entertainment, debuted in December 2021. The group recently released their first Japanese-language album, “Wave.” The group was recently tapped as Puma’s APAC brand ambassadors. Ive’s leader An Yujin was chosen as Fendi brand ambassador in January; Jang Won-young, a Miu Miu ambassador, also became jewelry label Fred’s first Korean ambassador in August 2022.

Aespa

CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 24: (L-R) Kim Min Jeong (Winter), Aeri Uchinaga (Giselle), Yoo Jimin (Karina) and Ning Yi Zhuo (Ningning) of Aespa group arrive for the screening of the film

Aespa attending the Cannes Film Festival in May.

VCG via Getty Images

Aespa was founded in 2020 by SM Entertainment. In early 2021, the four-girl band became Givenchy’s ambassador, the primary time a complete band has represented a brand. In January, the group became Chopard’s brand ambassador and appeared within the maison’s campaign. Band leader Karina attended Thom Browne’s couture debut in July.

Tomorrow x Together

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 05: (L-R) Yeonjun, Huening Kai, Beomgyu, Soobin, and Taehyun of Tomorrow X Together perform during Lollapalooza at Grant Park on August 05, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic)

Tomorrow X Together performed in Dior during Lollapalooza on Aug. 5.

FilmMagic

After donning total looks from Dior during their Lollapalooza festival performance, the five-boy member band became an envoy of Dior Men. The group made its debut in 2019 and consists of 5 members — Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai — and is the primary boy band created by Big Hit Music, a subsidiary of Hybe, after BTS. Tomorrow X Together recently finished its first U.S. tour and made history as the primary K-pop group to headline Lollapalooza.

Recommended Products

Beautifaire101
No Comments

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.