The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
K-pop performer J-Hope has signed on as Louis Vuitton’s latest ambassador.
The star — who was in attendance at the luxury brand’s January menswear show in Paris — announced the news to his 44 million Instagram followers in a joint post with the brand.
Aside from his role in Korean supergroup BTS, which is currently on hiatus, J-Hope has established a thriving solo musical career, and was booked as a headline act at Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival last July.
His appointment is the latest of an increasing number of luxury tie-ups with Kpop artists, as brands seek to capitalise on the genre’s global, young and die-hard fanbase. In January, Dior announced a partnership with fellow BTS member Jimin, while Valentino penned a deal with the group’s rapper, Suga. Girl group Blackpink’s stars Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé also all have deals with French fashion houses (Celine, Chanel, Dior and Saint Laurent, respectively).
ADVERTISEMENT
Learn more:
From Prada to Dior, fashion’s embrace of Korean pop stars is going into overdrive as brands look to Asian consumers to fuel growth.
The group’s flagship Prada brand grew more slowly but remained resilient in the face of a sector-wide slowdown, with retail sales up 7 percent.
The guidance was issued as the French group released first-quarter sales that confirmed forecasts for a slowdown. Weak demand in China and poor performance at flagship Gucci are weighing on the group.
Consumers face less, not more, choice if handbag brands can't scale up to compete with LVMH, argues Andrea Felsted.
As the French luxury group attempts to get back on track, investors, former insiders and industry observers say the group needs a far more drastic overhaul than it has planned, reports Bloomberg.