by Ruslan Baginskiy worked with Beyoncé for her “Renaissance” tour, creating wide-brimmed metallic boaters worn by her and her dancers, and Madonna on cowboy-inspired styles for her “Celebration” tour.
The Ukrainian accessories and hat designer said that working with such high-profile artists “is about being part of the global creative energy and contemporary culture, for me and for the brand.”
“The impact is real. After working on ‘Renaissance’ we saw the Beyhive [fandom] dress up for concerts in RB pieces — baker boy caps and boater hats, like the ones we created especially for Beyoncé. Headgear was essential for the elaborate outfits worn on the shows. People tagged us in many pictures and videos wearing the hats and reversing the camera on stage, it became a kind of language between us,” said Baginskiy. “Of course that means visibility, followers and sales – but more than that it builds a community.”
Baginskiy added that working with such high-profile artists elevates not only his brand, but the overall accessories business as well. “The more intricate custom pieces that have been part of our couture collections might not be easy to imagine offstage, but they add interest to the headwear and craftsmanship,” he said.
Stillman worked with Swift’s team on a series of looks from Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad, including a pink dress and a bejeweled purple suit.
Designers on the Swift stage had a chance to shine. “So many of the designers she’s used on this tour she’s worn many times before, and she’s only wearing a handful of designers. It’s very easy for these designers to have their moment and really stand out,” she said.
The numbers back it up.
Murad’s appearance on Swift’s stage resulted in 4.4 billion media impressions with an estimated average value of $2.9 million — and that’s not even counting TikTok.
“It’s about building brand awareness. Social media is the new water cooler, and you just have to be a part of the collective attention, and there’s so much of it around music right now,” Stillman said.
Olivia Rodrigo and K-pop stars are other examples of conversational and cultural drivers, she said.
But while Swift and Beyoncé made a fashion splash with their concert tours, the real success for luxury brands was seeing which K-pop or Asian star they could sign as an ambassador. It didn’t seem like a day went by without a new face being announced.
Louis Vuitton alone has J-Hope of BTS, Felix of Stray Kids, Jackson Wang of Got7, NewJeans’ Hyein and the group Le Sserafim as brand ambassadors. The sheer talent is that they will sign untested talent – see the band Riize come into the house as global ambassadors barely three months into their career.
Jimin from BTS is signed with two LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton brands: Dior and Tiffany & Co. Blackpink’s Jisoo is also signed to Dior, and Valentino has BTS’s Suga, Loewe brought NCT’s Taeyong on board and Celine has BTS’s V and Blackpink’s Lisa. , just to name a few.
Groups have also entered the game. Enhypen started working with Prada as brand ambassadors, and Tomorrow x Together signed with Dior Men and had their Lollapalooza stage outfits designed by Kim Jones.
Even as a movie star attended the Cannes Film Festival, Blackpink’s Jennie dominated the red carpet, generating $1.9 million in media influence value for Chanel.
The K-pop fandoms are young and especially loyal, said Euny Hong, author of “The Birth of Korean Cool: How One Nation Is Conquering the World Through Pop Culture.” Fans are eager to pick up items seen on their favorite idols.
The cultural influence of K-pop stars is a driving force for the insatiable Gen Z consumers weaned off of social media, especially as the generation grew up watching non-English shows on Netflix. It also resonates from Chicago to China and everywhere in between.
“This generation really doesn’t care about language or cultural barriers. They do not have the same understanding of ‘foreigner’. That’s the audience they’re going after,” Hong said. “All luxury brands, whether they’re American or French, have the same attitude towards that consumer – start them early with lipstick and eventually they’ll move to a dress.”
Hong noted that the aspirational consumer hoping to inspire brand loyalty leading to larger purchases down the line is not a new phenomenon, but the global appeal of K-pop stars helps generate brand loyalty far beyond any one region. .
Taking advantage of that trend, luxury brands staged several shows and increased their presence in South Korea during major cultural events such as Frieze Seoul, hoping to capture some of the K-pop shine.
Louis Vuitton staged a massive pre-fall show in April, turning Seoul’s Jamsugyo Bridge into a runway, while Gucci staged its cruise show in the South Korean capital last May in front of the city’s Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Hong emphasized that fan loyalty leads to moving merchandise. “If a K-pop star wears a Moncler jacket, it will be sold out the next day,” she said.
— With contributions from Lily Templeton
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