The “sold-out power” of Kpop stars such as BTS and BLACKPINK has put them on an extremely high ground in the luxury fashion industry.
Currently, Kpop stars such as BTS and BLACKPINK are constantly mentioned in the global luxury industry. The fashion items they wear, adorn, and carry, attract tremendous interest not only in Asia, but also in South America and Europe. As such, major luxury companies are eager to have Kpop stars as their “ambassadors” to enjoy this effect.
According to the luxury industry on February 9th, 18 leading luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Chanel, and Gucci, have Korean “Global Ambassadors”. Global Ambassador is a title that targets the world, unlike “local ambassador” (brand ambassador, in some cases), which targets specific regions such as Asia and Korea.
Nevertheless, luxury companies are also careful in selecting these “Global Ambassadors”. For example, Dior picked BTS Jimin and BLACKPINK Jisoo, whilst Chanel selected BIGBANG G-Dragon and BLACKPINK Jennie.
The fundamental reason why luxury companies, famous for their “unreachable images”, are enthusiastic about Korean celebrities is that top executives, including the owner’s family, realized their astounding popularity. A prime example is Bernard Arnault – the CEO and chairman of the world’s No. 1 luxury company, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH).
Back in December 2022, Chairman Arnault was listed as the richest man in the world by Bloomberg News. In June 2022, the scene where he was surprised by thousands of fans gathering to see BLACKPINK Lisa and BTS V at Celine’s Paris fashion show became a hot topic on YouTube.
The presence of celebrities, who show off their strong influence, is also having a positive effect on the domestic distribution and duty-free industry.
In particular, major duty-free shops are opening pop-up stores that sell goods related to Hallyu stars from time to time.
An official from a duty-free shop said, “Arnault’s grandchildren are avid fans of Kpop stars,” adding, “There are many cases where they take autographs of BTS and others when they go on business trips to Europe.”
Source: Daum
