The era of Hollywood stars appearing densely on billboards hung around the world is over. Fashion brands are now paying attention to Asian stars, especially kimchi idols, according to SCMP . Over the past year, BlackPink group members have continuously become brand ambassadors of leading fashion houses. BTS became brand ambassadors for Louis Vuitton last month. They will promote the brand’s clothing and accessories around the world. The link between idols and the Z . gene “I’m very happy that BTS is joining Louis Vuitton. I hope this partnership will add a modern chapter to the home – luxury and contemporary culture,” said Virgil Abloh – director of Louis Vuitton Men. BTS wore Louis Vuitton clothes at this year’s Grammy Awards. Photo: SCMP. Why choose BTS? The reason given is that they have a “huge” following of Generation Z. In addition, they represent standards that are far from traditional Hollywood beauty. The company’s global personal page is now flooded with BTS photos, including pictures of the group wearing designer clothes to the awards ceremony Grammy at the beginning of this year. BTS isn’t the only K-pop star to enter the world of luxury fashion in this way. Last summer, Rosé starred in the global campaign for Saint Laurent. This year, she was appointed as a global ambassador for Tiffany & Co. The other members of the BlackPink group represent Chanel, Dior and CELINE respectively. For the beauty segment, Armani Beauty has appointed Chinese actor and singer – Dich Duong Thien Ty – as the new global ambassador for makeup and skin care. Meanwhile, Japanese model Koki was recently chosen as the ambassador for Estée Lauder. Asian stars are being sought by major fashion brands. Photo: W, SCMP. Explaining the trend of choosing Asian stars, Rocky Chi – luxury style expert in London, UK – said: “Sales in Europe have plummeted. Brands have to face the reality of billions of dollars. Their largest percentage of customers are from Asia”. Agreeing, Charlie Gu – a marketing expert working in Shanghai (China) and San Francisco (USA) – expressed: “Asia, especially the China region, has made an important contribution to profits. of high-end brands during the time when the world is struggling because of Covid-19. So it’s no surprise that brands elevate Asian celebrities to global ambassadors. The move is intended to spur excitement in the region, in hopes of boosting sales.” Change with the times Some Asian stars are not widely known in the West. However, this is the opposite problem that brands have had in the past. Many Hollywood stars are not particularly famous in China but still appear on billboards around the country. With the rise in popularity of Korean beauty routines as well as the dominance of Chinese consumers in the luxury world, it’s not too difficult for brands to focus on Asian customers. Charlie Gu added, “The global appeal of K-pop and the growing recognition of Asian talent in Hollywood contribute to this new phenomenon. Award Ceremony Oscar this year is really breakthrough for Asian talent. They tend to appeal to younger audiences. Choosing them as global ambassadors could also help close the age gap in luxury spending in the West. In addition, it helps brands broaden their appeal to Gen Z.” Japanese model Koki became the brand ambassador of a famous cosmetic company. Photo: SCMP. In addition, the equality movements in the US have pushed this trend further to get rid of white-centered advertising. Action against Asians has skyrocketed during the pandemic to the point where the hashtag #StopAsianHate has gone viral. In this context, fashion celebrities such as Anna Sui, Phillip Lim and Susie Bubble have spoken out about the importance of promoting Asian designers and models. “When I was growing up, I realized there wasn’t a lot of Asian representation in the fashion industry. It’s more important than ever that we stand up as a community to drive change and acceptance,” said the designer. Jason Wu once expressed his opinion in the magazine Vogue. Finally, that era has arrived. Famous Asian names appear in a series of campaigns by fashion houses. They are constantly being “push” on the cover of many prestigious fashion magazines. BlackPink is the clearest example in recent times when the image of the girls is constantly being “pushed” on the cover.

BTS is the global ambassador of Louis Vuitton. This shows how much the cultural shift has changed when Korean group BTS has just been announced as Louis Vuitton’s ambassador. The French fashion house expressed, “World-famous pop icon BTS is recognized for its inspirational messages that bring about a positive influence. Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome members RM, Jin, SUGA, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook.” On the personal page, Virgil Abloh, the brand’s creative director of menswear, expressed, “We welcome BTS to join Louis Vuitton as an ambassador. We are really looking forward to collaborating with BTS, starting a new chapter for Louis Vuitton through the fusion of luxury and contemporary culture. We want to reveal our exciting projects as soon as possible.” BTS delighted the audience by wearing Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2021 menswear collection at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Abloh’s use of the word contemporary is interesting. BTS has a huge fan base of Generation Z, but more than that, the group represents a break from traditional Hollywood standards of beauty. Choosing BTS as the face of the brand shows that Abloh has a new vision for the future of Louis Vuitton. The company’s global Instagram page is now flooded with BTS photos, including images of the group wearing designer clothes to the Grammy Awards earlier this year. The group is also very fond of the brand’s clothes and often wears them in music videos, magazine photos or even in real life. With its influence, many times Louis Vuitton products “sold out” because they were worn by BTS members. BTS isn’t the only K-pop star to enter the world of luxury fashion in this way. Previously, the girl group BLACKPINK with 4 girls were the “jewels” of high-end fashion brands such as Chanel, Celine, Saint Laurent and Díor. Rosé, who recently joined Saint Laurent’s full campaign, was immediately appointed this year as a global ambassador for Tiffany & Co. Meanwhile, as an ambassador, Jisoo inspired the creative director of Dior to launch the Dior Cruise 2022 collection. Lisa is Celine’s first global ambassador and Heidi’s “baby” Slimane. Jisoo in the latest designs inspired by the female idol of the Dior fashion house. Besides, the statue-like beauty of Korean beauties and beauties helps cosmetic and beauty brands around the world make a lot of money, but not only Korean stars are chosen to be ambassadors for Korean celebrities. famous brands. Armani Beauty has appointed Chinese actor and singer Yi Yang as its new global ambassador for makeup and skin care. Japanese model Koki has also recently become the face of the brand Estée Lauder. Rosé becomes a global ambassador for Tiffany & Co. Many industry experts question whether this rapid change of fashion brands with this series of new campaigns in Asia can be related to the pandemic? “It doesn’t have the biggest luxury-buying demographic in Europe,” said Rocky Chi, an expert at London-based Melody Communications. The pandemic has caused sales to plummet and brands have to cope. Faced with the fact that the largest percentage of their customers are from Asia.” Charlie Gu, a marketing expert based between Shanghai in China and San Francisco in the US, agrees. He said: “Asia, especially the China region, has made an important contribution to the profits of luxury brands during the Covid-19 pandemic. So it’s no surprise that brands elevate Asian celebrities to global ambassadors to boost the region’s shopping potential, in hopes of boosting sales, overcoming crisis”. Dich Duong Thien Ty is an ambassador for many high-end fashion brands. While some Asian stars are not widely known in the West, for some brands, this is simply not an issue. Before that, many Hollywood stars were not particularly famous in China or Asia but still appeared on billboards in these countries. With the rise in popularity of beauty routines and the dominance of Asian customers in the world of luxury fashion, it is up to brands to focus on what Asian customers want and simply hope to promote shopping in Western markets. “K-pop’s global appeal and influence and the growing recognition of Asian talent in Hollywood have driven this shift,” added Gu. It’s really been a breakout year for Asian talent.As these Asian celebrities tend to appeal to younger audiences, choosing them as global ambassadors could also help close the age gap. on luxury spending in the West and helping brands expand their appeal to younger demographics.” Japanese beauty, Koki is the face of cosmetic brand Estee Lauder. In addition, high-fashion brands need to get rid of the long-standing inequality label of putting white people at the center of all advertising campaigns. In addition, acts of racism, especially against Asians, have increased dramatically during the pandemic – such as the horrific shooting deaths of eight people (including six Asian women) in Atlanta in Georgia. on March 16 caused outrage. The wave of protecting Asians around the world with the hashtag #StopAsianHate trend flooded social networks. In solidarity with the Asian community, prominent fashion figures including Anna Sui, Phillip Lim and Susie Bubble have spoken out about the importance of promoting Asian designers and models. , while promoting more diversity and inclusiveness in fashion. “Growing up, there weren’t many Asian representations in fashion,” designer Jason Wu said in a March article for fashion magazine Vogue. “It is more important than ever that we stand up as a community to promote, support change and acceptance.” The time for Asian celebrities to be recognized and established in the fashion field has also come.