Rihanna followed his Instagram, then Netflix’s Bling Empire called – Kane Lim’s journey from real-life Crazy Rich Asian to reality TV celebrity
From tomboy to teen supreme: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s 2021 transformation
Although Lim has kept a tight lid on his family’s billion-dollar empire up until now, Bling Empire – which debuted on Netflix on January 15 – shines a bright light on the young investor’s glamorous LA lifestyle.
Already a fan or wondering who to watch? Here’s what we know about the fashionable, 30-year-old, Singapore-born entrepreneur.
He started investing in his teens
Today, in addition to being a Netflix star and philanthropist, Lim is the director of an investment holding company with a portfolio spanning hospitality, renewable energy and property.
His shoe collection is rumoured to be worth over US$380,000 dollars
Lim reportedly owns over 200 pairs of designer shoes valued at over US$380,000 in total. Lim tasked wardrobe organiser to the stars, Linda Koopersmith, to organise his shoe wall in 2016, which has since offered fans completely swoon-worthy glances of his designer collection on social media.
His favourite pieces? According to his Instagram feed, Lim is quite partial to his Louis Vuitton trainers, Christian Louboutin slides, Saint Laurent boots and Gucci crocodile skin loafers.
Why Sasha Obama is the most ‘badass’ first daughter America has ever seen
He identifies most with Astrid in Crazy Rich Asians
Singapore’s The New Paper (TNP) featured Lim as one of the city’s “Rich Kids of Instagram” in 2014 – four years before the global box-office smash, Crazy Rich Asians was released.
When The Straits Times later asked about his reaction to the film, he said it was “accurate” and confessed feeling an affinity for the character Astrid Leong (played by Gemma Chan), particularly in regards to her love of high fashion.
Lim told the paper, “I have walked into a designer shoe store and said, ‘I’ll take one pair of everything you have in every colour, I’ll take it all’.”
His Instagram blew up when Rihanna started following him
The fashion influencer has remarked that his Instagram follower count snowballed once Rihanna started following him on the platform, to the point that he vividly remembers his phone dying after the sudden influx of new fans.
TikTok's top paid teen influencers revealed
He gives back, too
Lim supports multiple charities based in the US and Singapore, including Miracles for Kids and the Singapore Red Cross.
Recognising that he's one of the more fortunate fashionistas, the self-proclaimed shopaholic made local headlines in 2017 when he announced he would be selling some of his preloved collection, valued at over US$20,000, to raise funds for charity at the Singapore Red Cross International Bazaar.
Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .
Starring alongside Jaime Xie, Christine Chiu and Kelly Mi Li in Netflix’s ostentatious new reality TV show Bling Empire, real estate mogul and investor Kane Lim reportedly boasts US$380,000 worth of designer shoes