What It Means to See Kpop Stars at Fashion Week
With the growth of Kpop the world has seen Asian inclusion now more than ever.
The beginning of July marked the start of Paris Fashion Week and the growing importance of Korean celebrities in the world of fashion. Yes, the usual celebrities were present like Emma Watson, wearing powerful shoulder pads, Kim Kardashian who walked the Balenciaga show, and even a pregnant Rihanna. But amongst the usual faces were some new ones.
BTS’ V, BLACKPINK’s Lisa, and actor Park Bo-gum incited a roar of cheers as they stood waving at the crowds. If you have no idea who they are (have you been living under a rock?) let me help you out. Park Bo-gum saw success with his role in the Korean TV show Reply 1988. A show that received critical acclaim and is the fourth highest rated drama in Korean history. BTS is a South Korean boy group of seven members and known internationally for their hits DNA, Butter, and Boy With Love. They managed to gain recognition outside of South Korea in 2017 for DNA and have been unstoppable since thanks to their devout fanbase, aptly named ARMY. They are also the first Kpop group to have performed at the Grammys.
And Lisa? She is one of five members in the girl group BLACKPINK. A group that has also smashed records and dominated music charts. The members are known for their massive social media followings and the group’s music video ‘Ddu-du Ddu-du’ which has amassed over 1.8 billion views on YouTube, making it the most watched Kpop music video on the platform.
At the Celine Fashion show in Paris, Lisa wore a backless black dress with a high collar, while V stunned in a red leather jacket, and BoGum rocked an all black look. Fans were in an absolute frenzy as the stars waved. Twitter videos captured the viral moment. And if you’re thinking, so what, big deal. You should know that seeing a Kpop idol or actor at Fashion Week is like seeing a unicorn in the supermarket.
Celine was the top brand in EMV at the Milan and Paris Fashion week menswear with over $43 million (up 955%)
— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 16, 2022
BLACKPINK's Lisa accounts for 67.4% of the earned media value with $29 million out of 407 influencers. pic.twitter.com/w3RJRYpo30
Korean agencies and management companies are a bit like helicopter parents. They maintain a huge involvement in any kind of activities Idols attend or brands they are associated with. Sometimes Idols even need permission to wear certain items or dye their hair.
But the good news is we’ll be seeing a lot more Korean artists at western entertainment events. Especially now that the world has realized that Asian artists are marketable. With the meteoric rise of BTS and BLACKPINK, brands are prepared to cash in. This means now more than ever Asian artists are being made global ambassadors for luxury brands. Just this past June British brand Burberry selected Korean soccer player Son Heung Min as its global ambassador. Also, singer HyunA was selected as a global ambassador for Loewe and Actor Kang Dong Won was named as Louis Vuitton’s new global ambassador. Oh, and Of course, all the members of BLACKPINK are global ambassadors of famous and renowned luxury brands such as Dior, Chanel, Cartier, Saint Laurent, Bulgari, Celine, and Tiffany & Co.
#TaehyungxCeline is the most tweeted individual hashtag in 2022 AND the highest for celine paris fashion week! pic.twitter.com/PBAPSiaRDI
— KTHP (@taeperforms) July 17, 2022
The rise of East Asian artists’ success has bled directly into Hollywood’s representation of Asian Americans. It’s taken a minute for the western world to catch up, but now that Kpop, Jpop, and Cpop have shown there is an international market for Asian artists and fans globally are interested, it’s a rush to meet demand. In the world of fashion, Vera Wang has been holding it down as well as Alexander Wang, but it’s exciting to see more Asian talent emerge elsewhere as well.
Films like Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), Shang-Chi And the Legends of the Ten Rings (2021), and Crazy Rich Asians (2018) are helping to prove that right here in America there is a want for more Asian inclusion. Asian Americans are being cast in bigger roles. In the twenty-first century they have the natural opportunity to be super heroes, love interests, and pop stars. It’s important for the media to support the underrepresented and provide a platform to those who have not had it in the past.
Paris Fashion Week showcased an interesting assortment of celebrities from different backgrounds. I mean, who could have ever foreseen Thomas Brodie-Sangster (Game of Thrones) sitting next to Lisa or V hugging Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)? Not me, not me. But whether it’s a member of BTS or BLACKPINK, the issue of bias towards certain races still exists. Someone’s favorite idol or actor might experience prejudice when they go abroad or even at home. It’s important to continue to support and spread awareness of Asian issues. Asian Americans specifically, have experienced a rise of hate crimes in the USA since the beginning of COVID -19, according to Stop AAPI Hate, a “coalition that tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States.”
As we witness East and American Asians gain global success we shouldn’t forget that there is always work to be done. Today fashion week, tomorrow president? The beautiful thing about the future is that it’s full of possibilities and we have the ability to make goals a reality. Please continue to support Asian communities and talent. Remaining outspoken is the best way to show brands that diversity is a must and that as consumers we won’t settle for less. Now go listen to some BLACKPINK!