From exciting news that made waves across the world to the most compelling figures and buzz-worthy trends, EnVi looks back at the very Best of 2023. In the first installment, we recap the top moments from the K-pop-led fashion wave.
In 2023, the fashion world thrived on its connection to global entertainment. From Thai stars rising as style icons to Gen Z celebrities becoming the new faces of luxury, this year saw significant shifts. K-pop stars, however, remained at the forefront of the international fashion scene.
As per Alison Bringé, Chief Marketing Officer at Launchmetrics, K-pop’s meteoric rise and the support of loyal fanbases worldwide have contributed to fueling this K-star-led fashion phenomenon. “Consumers are seeking inspiration beyond their own borders and so brands see global artists, such as K-pop stars as strategic Voices, which have a remarkable ability to influence global, dedicated audiences while bringing cultural relevance,” she told EnVi.
This year alone the biggest fashion conglomerates tapped names from the South Korean entertainment scene as ambassadors, campaign stars and front-row guests. At LVMH, for example, nearly every major brand has recruited one or multiple K-pop celebrities as endorsers.
While these strategic partnerships speak of the fashion industry’s ability to keep up with the times, they’re also an indicator of the influence K-pop celebs exert beyond music confines. Icons of popular culture, these personalities are front and center of a renewed fashion landscape. And brands are, of course, capitalizing on this “unprecedented and never-before-seen success” to build cultural capital and leverage their names among new audiences.
With 2023 coming to an end, EnVi dives into some of the most groundbreaking and buzzworthy moments of K-pop star’s fashion associations.
IN NUMBERS
Although fashion partnerships go beyond what meets the eye, success can be partly measured in numbers. Metrics uniquely tuned to the Fashion Lifestyle and Beauty industry, such as Media Impact Value™ (MIV®), are reliable indicators of an advantageous and productive team-up on socials and media. MIV® is measured with an all-encompassing Machine Learning algorithm property of Launchmetrics. It analyzes quantitative and qualitative parameters such as engagement, source authority, and content quality of placements (social media posts, articles, blog entries, etc.) to ultimately give them a monetary value and measure the Return Of Investment.
Ahead, we recap some of the highest-valued K-pop moments in 2023 with data courtesy of the software and data company Launchmetrics.
j-hope’s Louis Vuitton Ambassador Announcement
Among all fashion brands, the French giant Louis Vuitton had a remarkably K-star-studded year. The brand not only strengthened its associations with Korean stars, but it also refocused its attention on appealing to the large South Korean market. One of the brand’s first communication moves in 2023 was appointing BTS member j-hope as a global brand ambassador.
The announcement followed his attendance at the Fall Winter 2023 Men’s show and it generated a total of $9.2 million in MIV®. The top placement was an Instagram post shared between Louis Vuitton and the South Korean icon, which amassed $3 million.
LE SSERAFIM’s Louis Vuitton Ambassador Announcement
By the later part of the year, Louis Vuitton had already tapped several South Korean stars including NewJeans Hyein, actor Song Joong-ki and superstar Felix Lee as brand ambassadors. A K-pop girl group was all Louis Vuitton was missing, and the brand delivered.
On October 13, LE SSERAFIM joined the Louis Vuitton family with a glossy capsule collection campaign shot at the Han River. The campaign also featured the Jamsugyo Bridge — the venue for the brand’s Women’s Pre-Fall 2023 show in Seoul — in the background.
The announcement and campaign generated $3 million in MIV®, with LE SSERAFIM issuing the top placement, worth $439K in MIV®, on their official Instagram account. “LE SSERAFIM continues to not only make waves within the K-pop industry but also within the luxury space,” shared Launchmetrics about the group’s impressive feat.
Jennie’s Chanel Coco Crush Campaign
BLACKPINK’s Jennie Kim has had one of the most successful years of her career in 2023. From attending world-class events to launching her own clothing collection with Calvin Klein, the singer didn’t stop wowing the fashion world. Jennie was named Lyst’s power dresser of 2023 and emerged as the second most influential Voice in fashion on Instagram. (She racked up $25.4 million in MIV® on her official account in the first half of 2023, just below the American publication Vogue.)
While the superstar had plenty of memorable moments this year, according to Launchmetrics, one of her top moments came courtesy of the Coco Crush campaign. Barely into the first week of 2023, Jennie was already proving her fashion prowess as the campaign star of Chanel’s popular ring — an early indicator that her year would be fashion-packed.
The campaign racked up $1.7 million in MIV® and mainly benefited from Chanel’s Owned Media (the brand’s own social media channels, website, and more), proving just how strong the Chanel and Jennie team-up is.
TXT’s Dior Ambassador Announcement
In 2023, new names emerged in the international fashion scene. One of them was the Gen Z icon TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT). The quintet has made waves in the music scene with killer vocals, tightly choreographed dances, and an inherently Gen Z style that has placed them under the fashion spotlight. Departing from traditional aesthetics, for a few years, the group championed the punk and indie sleaze revival in K-pop and this trendsetting spirit did not go unnoticed.
In August, the band was selected as Dior’s first-ever K-pop group ambassador. Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai debuted the role on the stage of the famed Lollapalooza summer festival in Chicago — though the announcement happened a day later. As per Launchmetrics, discussions online and on social media generated a total of $6.2 million in MIV® within 14 days. TXT shared the news on their official social media accounts, amassing $3.4 million in MIV®. The group also issued the top placement — a picture of member Yeonjun — worth $636K in MIV®.
Lisa’s Bulgari Limited Edition Watch
Similar to her bandmates, BLACKPINK’s Lisa is a force to be reckoned with in the world of luxury. The singer has an incredible pull with her social media posts and has authored top placements for brands, particularly in the jewelry segment. (ICYMI, Lisa was responsible for the second top Instagram post in the Jewelry and Watches category in H1 2023.)
As one of the faces of Bulgari, Lisa had no shortage of memorable moments in 2023 — including an iconic meet-up with Zendaya. However, the most buzzworthy was the unveiling of a limited edition timepiece created in her honor.
For this collaboration, the French brand went all out and put together a watch that featured Lisa’s favorite flower, the edelweiss, and her name’s initials. The campaign ended up garnering $3.3 million in MIV® over eight days. Lisa also shared the news on her social media channels and authored a placement worth $1.5 million. See when you’re a fashion favorite?
Rosé’s Tiffany Lock ROSÉ Edition
BLACKPINK’s Rosé was selected as a brand ambassador for the famed jeweler Tiffany & Co. in early 2021. The announcement came on the heels of an acquisition by LVMH and was the first of many communication moves aimed at reintroducing the legacy brand.
Rosé’s role has been pivotal in rejuvenating the image of Tiffany & Co. and she has led several campaigns throughout the years. However, one of her most remarkable moments in 2023 happened when she fronted the Tiffany Lock campaign. The launch amassed $1.3 million in(MIV®) in just two days.
Later in the year, Tiffany & Co. released a Rosé-inspired capsule collection titled Tiffany Lock ROSÉ Edition. The collection featured renditions of the classic Tiffany Lock in 18k rose gold adorned with rare pink sapphires.
Although the announcement didn’t involve a campaign per se, the collection gathered $6.3 million in MIV®, with Rosé coming in as the Top Voice. She generated $5.3 million in MIV® through her social media channels in a week and authored a top placement worth $1.4 million. Talk about power!
Felix’s Louis Vuitton Ambassador Announcement
Louis Vuitton has been on a roll in 2023. From Pharrell Williams’ star-studded debut as Louis Vuitton Men’s creative director to the brand’s prolific celebrity associations, there was no shortage of fashiontainment moments to celebrate.
One of the most buzzworthy social media moments for the brand took place in August when Louis Vuitton announced a team-up with Stray Kids’ Felix. The singer, who is well-recognized for his powerful raps and main character energy, had already made a few appearances at brand events, so his appointment as brand ambassador was not entirely unexpected.
Nevertheless, the announcement by Louis Vuitton on Instagram generated $2.3 million in MIV® and a top placement worth $826K. Ultimately, conversations surrounding Felix’s ambassadorship generated a total of $4.5 million in MIV® between August 22 and September 5. “This crossover between music and fashion marks a significant shift as K-pop continues to influence and redefine the music industry,” Launchmetrics shared.
IN IMPACT
While some metrics can shed light on the success of a fashion partnership, relevance is not always quantified in numbers. In 2023, several K-pop stars achieved first-of-a-kind milestones and received well-deserved recognition for newly minted associations. Magazine covers, ambassador debuts, and splashing campaigns were the order of the day — or should we say, year? EnVi recaps some of these highlights below.
NewJeans’ Individual Ambassadorships
In a team-centered industry, rare are instances where all members of a rookie group are selected to represent major fashion brands — and only a few months into their debut! But as their music proves; Minji, Danielle, Hanni, Hyein and Haerin, collectively known as NewJeans, are innovators. The quintet has pierced deep into the fashion world by way of a distinctively Gen Z style and effortless charm, claiming the title of breakout stars of 2023.
With individual links to Gucci, Dior, Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, the girls of NewJeans are the style icons of a new generation. Accordingly, their presence was nearly ubiquitous in fashion spaces. The group has commanded attention through ambassadorships, magazine covers, campaigns and Fashion Week cameos, reaching places generally dominated by Millennial stars. And while Gen Z has been taking over luxury fashion for some time now, the fact they’re representing storied fashion houses is no coincidence. With authenticity and novelty rooted in their concept, the quintet is reinventing conventions and injecting renewed youthfulness into the high fashion scene.
Jisoo’s Vogue France Cover
BLACKPINK’s Jisoo needs no introduction. Actress, singer and one of the most bankable personalities in fashion, the star turns all her style exploits into headlines. This year, however, was particularly fruitful for the “Flower” singer. Jisoo’s association with Dior dominated Media Impact Value™ figures at several Paris Fashion Weeks and there was not a time she didn’t capture the world’s attention with the looks conjured up in collaboration with the French label.
It’s perhaps the unabashed femininity, modern edge and subversion of the traditional Dior woman, but something about the Jisoo x Dior association seems to just make it for us. Considering that she has invigorated the image of one of the most iconic Parisian brands, it was only fitting that she made history in the City of Lights.
In February 2023, Jisoo became the first ever Asian star to grace the cover of Vogue France, joining personalities such as Aya Nakamura and Lilly Collins, who’ve previously fronted this coveted publication.“More than a global music star, Jisoo is a new generation pop culture icon,” the magazine wrote in her profile. And frankly, there’s no other way to explain the K-pop juggernaut she has grown into.
Jungkook’s Calvin Klein Association
Though words like “powerhouse” and “superstar” are easily thrown around when describing male stars, it’s safe to state that BTS’ Jungkook checks all the boxes of these descriptors. Prodigious singer, performer supreme and total fashion boy, the star ascended as one of the world’s most prominent soloists in 2023 and he had a Calvin Klein-powered wardrobe to match his status.
As Jungkook went down music history, he also hit his stride in fashion. In March, the star became one of the faces of the apparel brand Calvin Klein. Though the association was not entirely unexpected — fans had been clamoring for a team-up for years — this partnership came to fruition just in time to bring Jungkook into new echelons of style. There were campaigns, event appearances and even a history-making Times Square performance. And needless to say, in each of them Jungkook proved that sometimes less is definitely more.
Enhypen’s Prada Ambassadorship
Very few times fashion industry professionals find themselves at a loss for words — in a good way. But that was exactly what happened when K-pop group ENHYPEN showed up at Prada Men’s Fall Winter 2023 show in Milan. The massive crowd outside Fondazione Prada, which was described by amazed editor peers as “unprecedented,” was a telltale that the septet’s fashion reputation was about to go into overdrive.
That season, ENHYPEN garnered $11.2 million in MIV® — numbers unheard of at previous Prada shows. A few months later, the septet became the Italian brand’s first group ambassador. Although the pairing wasn’t entirely obvious at first — the group previously served as AMI’s ambassador — the association has been nothing short of fruitful. Jay, Jake, Jungwon, Heeseung, Ni-ki, Sunghoon, and Sunoo have rocked Prada on magazine covers, red carpets and front rows. And they do it exquisitely.
Hyunjin’s Versace Holiday Campaign
Leaning on its tradition as a pop-culture-driven brand, Versace tapped into the power of K-pop by appointing Stray Kids’ Hyunjin as a brand ambassador. The singer had made a headline-worthy front-row appearance at Dua Lipa’s show in Cannes in May, quickly sparking rumors of a possible team-up with the Italian brand.
By July, the news was confirmed and thereon, Hyunjin flaunted the newly minted partnership at several events. Namely, the superstar took Versace looks to the MTV VMAs and Lollapalooza Paris. While all those additions to his style book were iconic in their own right, what truly sent fans into a frenzy was the unveiling of the brand’s Holiday campaign starring Hyunjin.
Online, hashtags related to the launch trended for hours — and for a good reason. The Hyunjin x Versace collab has the potential to break the internet time after time. In fact, it already does.
Interested in more fashion content? Check out how viral content creator Kelly Kim styles her hoodies for the ultimate cool-girl look here.
Author note: This list does not include red carpet and Fashion Week appearances, which will be included in a different list.
