JISOO (BLACKPINK) for Dior, HYUNJIN (STRAY KIDS) for Versace, JACKSON WANG for Louis Vuitton, NMIXX for Loewe… luxury houses are not hiding their fondness for K-pop idols anymore.
Over the past few years, they have been multiplying collaborations with Korean celebrities who benefit from great media coverage. From magazine covers, to promotional campaigns and appearance at the four fashion weeks, they are everywhere to represent the fashion giants.
But why this craze for Korean celebrities?
Influence marketing and partnerships between brands and celebrities have nothing new: we can think of the promotional campaigns of L’Oréal with EVA LONGORIA, Dior with CHARLIZE THERON or Lancôme with JULIA ROBERTS.
What is compelling is the growing representation of K-pop in the luxury industry these past few years. Yet, is their omnipresence that surprising?
This phenomenon should be looked at given the context that South Korea has become a conducive market for the growth of the luxury industry: not only does the local market show great interest in luxury brands, it has also become a vehicle for international expansion.
While South Korea may be facing unfavorable macroeconomic headwinds (Bain & Company), its luxury market has been benefiting from great growth over the past few years: according to Morgan Stanley, Koreans’ spendings on luxury goods grew around 24% in 2022 and South Korea is now recognized one of the biggest luxury consumers among Asian countries after China and Japan.
Besides, it also shows high protential: with an improving standard of living and a highly connected “Gen Z” that shows great interest in luxury goods, the circumstances are favorable to consumption. Indeed, the dynamic “fan culture” around K-pop and K-dramas is such that entertainment is now ubiquitous in the Korean landscape and Korean idols and actors have become an influential media to spur consumption, especially for the young public that tends to trust their favorite celebrities’ judgement.
However, the K-drama and K-pop phenomenon isn’t circumbscribed within the frontiers of South Korea: as part of the pillars of “hallyu” (“Korean wave”), they are now spreading worldwide. Like so, BONG JOON-HO’s “PARASITE” was awarded four oscars in 2020 and “SQUID GAME” was an immediate hit on Netflix upon its release in 2021. We can also recall BTS‘s speech at the 76th UN General Assembly which gathered over 1 million viewers who tuned in to watch the livestream.
Consequently, the worldwide diffusion of the Korean pop culture has been nurturing collaborations between K-pop idols and luxury houses as they give them the possibility to target a wider spectrum of consumers, notably young consumers, not only in South Korea but also globally.
In that, Lefty published some EMV (“earned media value“) figures for fashion events in 2023 demonstrating Korean celebrities’ prevalence on social platforms. This metric, which quantifies the value of social media content, showed that Korean celebrities appeared in the TOP10 most visible influencers for SS24 with NCT, EUNWOO (ASTRO), ENHYPEN, JIMIN (BTS), DOYOUNG (NCT), BAMBAM (GOT7), and JACKSON WANG (GOT7). Likewise, JISOO (BLACKPINK), BAMBAM and JACKSON WANG (GOT7) were mentioned among the three celebrities that generated the highest EMVs during Dior and Louis Vuitton’s SS24 fashion show.
And so, we can expect to see many K-pop idols and Korean celebrities at the Men’s Collections F/W 2024-2025 Paris Fashion Week.
Journalist: Catherine
Translator: Catherine
Sources: Fashion Network, Fashion United, Journal du luxe, Lefty, Radio France
