How K-pop stars became the faces of luxury street style in Asia
From T-shirts to sneakers, lipsticks and jeans, as far as luxury brands are concerned, everything K-pop stars touch turns to gold
With the rise of premium streetwear brands such as Vetements, Supreme and Kanye West’s Yeezy line, and the youthful ready-to-wear collections of luxury labels such as Gucci, Fendi and Burberry, fashion has entered a new era where the street and luxury intersect.
In Asia, the arrival of the luxury streetwear movement coincided with the global popularisation of K-pop. Although K-pop encompasses many genres – from traditional Korean trot pop music to indie rock – its mainstream sound is bubblegum-pop-infused hip hop and R&B.
The songs are catchy and well produced and accompanied by flashy and highly choreographed videos; with most girl or boy bands featuring at least one rapper, K-pop has become the perfect musical counterpoint to the burgeoning street-style movement in Asia.
It was only a matter of time before fashion brands linked up with K-pop stars to front campaigns targeting young Asian consumers (the average luxury consumer in China is in their thirties).
When boy band Big Bang opened ticket sales for their 10th anniversary Seoul concert in 2016, almost two million fans in China alone vied for tickets. Boy band EXO’s online fan club has more than three million members. Meanwhile, Korean TV dramas featuring K-pop stars such as Yoon Im are hugely popular and continue to set fashion and beauty trends in the nation.
Over the years, ever more brands have begun engaging K-pop stars as ambassadors to help them reach audiences in China, says Bettina Ding, a consultant at Hong Kong-based luxury marketing firm Cherry Blossoms. However, traditional luxury brands are still wary of how they market such collaborations.