The K-Pop Fashion Ludo

K-pop has been a crucial part of the global entertainment industry. With catchy hook steps, incredible choreography, grand live performances, and sophisticated music videos, K-pop (especially the music groups such as BTS and Blackpink) is still able to attract attention. Now, artists are combining contemporary Korean elements with the music trends on a global level to resonate with their international fans. The social media and digital communities connect the sector with their fans.

Through the global influence and social media power of K-Pop, brands are naming them the ideal brand ambassadors to tap into global visibility. These cross-industry collaborations drive more record-breaking sales, and give the brands the opportunity to get in touch with cultural relevance and bridge the gap between East and West.

This collaboration between K-Pop and the Fashion & Luxury industry started gaining momentum in the early 2010s. 2012 was the year when PSY’s Gangnam Style was released and earned global attention. The early collaborations included street and casualwear brands - G-Dragon collaborated with Nike and BigBang partnered with Adidas. One of the first brand ambassador collaborations was between Kai and Nature Republic which lasted 8 years from 2013 to 2020, succeeded by BTS with VT Cosmetics from 2017-2019 and Blackpink’s Jennie with Chanel from 2017.

Most of the collaborations feature luxury brands including Prada, Dior, Gucci, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton showing an aggressive strategy to attract a K-Pop audience. The brand categories are diverse - cosmetics (Hera, Sulwhasoo, and VT Cosmetics), Jewellery (Tiffany & Co., Chaumet, and Cartier), and lifestyle (Mediheal and Dyson). According to the ludo, the brand with the most collaborations is Prada (five tie-ups), followed by Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, and YSL Beaute with four collaborations.

Male artists are becoming more commercially viable in the luxury market. Among the K-Pop stars, the members of BTS (Jungkook with Calvin Klein, V with Cartier and Celine, Jimin with Dior and Tiffany & Co., Suga with Valentino, J-Hope with Louis Vuitton, and RM with Bottega Veneta) and NCT (Doyoung with Dolce & Gabbana and Jaehyun with Prada) feature multiple partnerships with brands. One of the first collaborations was between Kai and Nature Republic which lasted from 2013 to 2020 for 7 years. Jennie from Blackpink has been associated with Chanel till now since 2017, displaying a long-term partnership.

This ludo also represents older groups such as EXO and BIGBANG to newer groups like Le Sserafim and NewJeans, symbolizing cross-industry collaboration’s enduring relevance in K-Pop through generations. It is also important to note that the new members such as Minji, Danielle, and Hanni of NewJeans are becoming more prominent, indicating how newer bands are getting more recognition from the collaboration with global luxury brands.

When some brands are going with the whole group, some are going with the individual members of the group. The highest number of collaborations were signed by Blackpink’s Rosé with Kiss Me, Rimowa, Saint Laurent, Sulwhasoo, YSL Beaute and Tiffany & Co., followed by Jisoo with Dior, Cartier, Dyson, Hera and Tommy Hilfiger, GOT7’s Jackson Wang with Giorgio Armani Fragrance, Cartier, Fendi and Louis Vuitton, ASTRO’s Cha Eun-woo with VT Cosmetics, Dior, Mediheal and Skechers.

In some cases, the artist put the collaborations on hold for personal and professional reasons. All the collaborations with BTS members are in-still due to their solo ventures and the mandatory military service.

The most recent collaboration is between TWS and Celine which was announced in November 2024.