U.S. designer Tommy Hilfiger browses through a rail of custom-made suits worn to this year’s Met Gala by K-pop stars Stray Kids, before opening up a tuxedo to reveal a special label.
The eight-member South Korean boy-band are Tommy Hilfiger brand ambassadors and caused an online frenzy when they became the first K-pop group to attend the prestigious Manhattan fashion event in May.
“We did a special label ‘Tommy Hilfiger with the Stray Kids’ and they loved it, we loved it and I think it will go down in history as probably one of the most exciting projects we’ve had to date,” Hilfiger told Reuters ahead of his New York Fashion Week show on Sunday.
“We were, if not the most talked about brand at the Met Ball, one of the most talked about brands at the Met Ball… because the strength of what is going on in K-pop and for our association I think it was appropriate timing.”
Stray Kids are just one of an ever increasing number of K-pop idols luxury fashion houses are enlisting as brand ambassadors as they seek to tap into their global followings.
Last year, around 30 K-pop stars were appointed as the new faces for labels including Versace and Dior, while in the last two months, Lisa of BLACKPINK, BTS’ Jin, and Karina from aespa were announced as brand ambassadors for Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada respectively.
Changbin, Lee Know, I.N, Hyunjin, Seungmin, Felix and Bang Chan of Stray Kids pose at the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute with this year’s theme ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ in New York City, New York, U.S., May 6, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
“(K-pop idols have) built their own following. They’ve built their own community … and so for when brands are working with them, they’re not only getting the press coverage of working with those K-pop stars but they’re getting that huge community of followers,” said Alison Bringe, chief market officer at data and technology company Launchmetrics.
“And because of these different voices that are supporting the K-pop stars, it is driving a phenomenal amount of media impact value that is considerably higher than Western celebrities.”
