As a fashion lover, Fashion Week enthusiast, and certainly someone who does not only watch movies for the plot but also for the fashion, I can proudly say that Im Han-rim in the K-drama Teach You a Lesson persuaded me to start wearing suits again and, for sure, get a fresh late-summer haircut.
I can say that fashion brands are making important, wise decisions by signing more than one K-actor or idol because that brings us into the picture too. And by us, I mean the fandoms.
Not knowing the difference between lapis and cerulean is excusable, unless our bias's color analysis shows that one looks better on them than the other.
So, let's yap about it.
Louis Vuitton reportedly built an entire internal team in Paris whose only job is managing K-pop ambassador relationships. More than thirty idols were named global ambassadors in a single year not long ago. And why is that? I mean, the world is full of famous people, no?
For the idol, I think an ambassadorship becomes their second home, or maybe their second introduction to the world without needing to vocalize their thoughts, simply by showing up after countless meetings deciding which fashion house describes them best.
I believe Versace was waiting for Hyunjin before he was even born. His aura, his fashion sense, and Donatella's vision felt like a match made in heaven, fashion heaven ofc. And it worked financially as well. I can only imagine the sold-outs. Actually, I still remember the iconic after-party dance in that unreleased custom red satin runway coat paired with a full black outfit.
I love fashion, but never have I ever shown any interest in the after-parties. Not until then.
In the CKJK collaboration, and I am paraphrasing here, he mentioned that he loves denim-on-denim sets but doesn't like jackets that are too long, so designing the collection with his vision in mind was the plan. What was not the plan was selling out the entire collection in less than twenty minutes. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get my hands on the baby tees.
But it's ironic that Calvin Klein wasn't ready for that because even the lip balm he uses sells out in a day. Or was it the plan all along? Creating less supply for more curiosity, more discussion, and more fandom talk.
I can sit here and ramble about every scrumptious ambassadorship. I literally pause and schedule my messages just to not miss a minute of it, but I can confidently say that every ambassadorship feels studied. The brands have personalities of their own, artistic people of their own, fashion geniuses of their own.
The Dior Men's Summer 2027 collection, whatever it makes anyone else feel, whispers Jimin to me. It whispers Jimin in his Howl's moving castle era. I know he wasn't the muse, but it all came together so smoothly that his aura felt like the long-lasting love of the collection.
Chat, we love an iconic ambassadorship. We love buying what we see on our bias. We love it when brands truly listen to our biases because it makes us love the brand even more and actually invest our time, money, and support into it.