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<\/p>\n<\/span>Jeremy Moeller\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n Soyeon Kim, the visual director of SM Entertainment, one of the biggest agencies managing K-pop talent, including the likes of NCT, EXO, Girls\u2019 Generation, Red Velvet, and WayV, among others, tells Hypebeast that K-pop\u2019s rapid, unparalleled success can be attributed to the \u201csense of unity\u201d that connects the artists with the fans. \u201cK-pop is an industry that has grown together with its fandom,\u201d Kim says.<\/p>\n It\u2019s true: K-pop stars famously endure a strenuous trainee program, which includes vocal, dance, acting and language classes that last for an indefinite period of time, all with the ultimate hope of debuting as an \u201cidol\u201d \u2013 and fans pay close attention to this process. \u201cYou can train with a management company for three or four years and be dropped at any time,\u201d explains Matthew Cancel, founder of New York public relations agency, Cancel Communications. \u201cIt\u2019s special for the fanbase to watch K-pop stars\u2019 dreams come true in real time and feel like they are part of that story.\u201d<\/p>\n Those that do debut are held to the highest standards of professionalism and perfectionism, thanks to the pillars of their training programs. It\u2019s this discipline, this sportsmanship, this universal commitment to idealism that fascinates and hooks global audiences. \u201cWhen you\u2019re watching BLACKPINK perform, you almost respect them more because you know they fought so hard to get on that stage,\u201d Cancel adds. \u201cYou cheer for them more. You know that these aren\u2019t just four girls that were plucked out of obscurity or got a record deal based on some garbage TikTok song. These are four women that worked extremely hard for what they have.\u201d<\/p>\n By the time September\u2019s fashion weeks rolled around, fervent K-pop fans were well-prepared to scout out show locations and wait patiently behind metal bars to lay their eyes on their idols from afar. At Prada in Milan, for instance, crowds of hundreds turned to thousands: locals gathered with personalized signs at screeching volumes for ENHYPHEN\u2019s arrival. Their attendance and show-related social media content garnered a total of $7 million USD in MIV. Echo mentions earned an additional $4.2 million USD in MIV, and in total, the band was responsible for 23% of the show\u2019s MIV. Even more impressive, ENHYPHEN alone raked in more online attention than 91% of the shows at Milan Fashion Week.<\/p>\n To draw a comparison, Kim Kardashian’s Dolce & Gabbana collaboration and runway show last year earned digital visibility worth $4.6 million USD. Kardashian, herself one of the world’s most-known individuals, had to curate and style an entire 85-piece collection to reach that figure. ENHYPHEN merely put on Prada\u2019s clothes, sat at the brand\u2019s show and posted on their social media accounts \u2014 and still accumulated $2.6 million USD more than the reality star. Take from that what you will, but the numbers don\u2019t lie: there\u2019s no bigger draw than these K-pop stars.<\/span><\/span> <\/span>Edward Berthelot\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n K-pop artists are indisputably and fiercely talented entertainers, but it\u2019s the fan behavior that surrounds their enterprise \u2014 which is expected to generate $20 billion USD by 2031 \u2014 that sets them apart in the eyes of brands. In the first half of 2023, K-pop stars claimed five of the top 10 spots on the list of most-followed accounts by average MIV. BLACKPINK\u2019s Lisa ranked second with an average MIV of $1.9 million USD, behind KAROL G, who boasts a whopping $28.8 million USD average MIV. Jennie ($1.7 million USD), Ros\u00e9 ($1.6 million USD) and Jisoo ($1.6 million USD) took fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively, while BTS\u2019 V rounded out the top 10 with $1.4 million USD.<\/p>\n The word \u201cidol\u201d is important to note, as K-pop singers are carefully positioned to be idolized. Unlike many American artists, like Taylor Swift, for instance, who has mastered the parasocial relationship with her fans and is often photographed in her daily life, K-pop stars are purposefully unreachable and untouchable. \u201cThe entertainment structure is different,\u201d says Cancel. \u201cK-pop stars are supposed to be on top of the world. They are larger than life, and they are so protected. You don\u2019t see them out and about as much, so when they show up to a fashion show, it\u2019s very exciting and people get highly overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n K-pop artists are personally elusive and professionally omnipresent. Sure, there\u2019s an endless amount of K-pop content to consume online \u2014 be it music videos, fan cams, variety shows, interviews or tour vlogs. But there\u2019s an intentional mysteriousness to these artists\u2019 private lives that keeps their star power at a continuous high. This duality ensures their brand-safeness, and that, coupled with their massive followings and high-octane talent, makes them ideal partners for luxury fashion houses. This picture-perfect image, however, is all part of the management companies\u2019 capitalist strategies, which ultimately prioritize maximizing profits by treating artists like fully-manicured, marketable commodities, whose individual personalities take a backseat to their image. Under characteristically exploitative circumstances, perhaps K-pop stars hold onto their personal lives because they are the only things they can fully control themselves.<\/p>\n In the last several years, fashion-conscious consumers have shifted their focus to \u201cdiverse cultures beyond their borders\u201d for inspiration, which has resulted in \u201cK-Pop stars being embraced as strategic brand partners,\u201d according to Alison Bring\u00e9, chief marketing officer at Launchmetrics. \u201cK-pop stars\u2019 constant media visibility, cross-cultural appeal, versatility in various talents, youthful energy, and strong social media presence make them attractive to brands seeking to connect with younger, diverse demographics and capitalize on their substantial influence in the entertainment industry.\u201d<\/p>\n As brands look to reach younger generations of consumers across international markets, K-pop stars offer a first-of-their-kind ambassadorship, as the inaugural AAPI supergroups to harness the globe at this level. \u201cWe’ve seen the American Dream, white-girl-rises-to-fame thing happen a million different times, but we have never seen AAPI superstars break into global dominance until recently,\u201d says Cancel. Gen Z and millennial consumers, both those who are seeing themselves represented in music at this scale for the first time and those who are simply fans of K-pop music, are significantly more likely to purchase from a brand endorsed by the genre\u2019s idols, as proven by their ultra-high MIVs. This philosophy is exactly why you saw BTS\u2019 Jimin star in Dior\u2019s Spring\/Summer 2024 campaign last week, and it\u2019s the reason five-member girl group LE SSERAFIM became Louis Vuitton\u2019s latest house ambassadors in the week prior.<\/span><\/span> <\/span>Jacopo Raule\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n Fashion\u2019s most sought-after stars are always changing: supermodels stole the \u201890s; actors prevailed in the 2000s; and hip-hop artists took centerstage in the 2010s, prior to the flood of influencers. There\u2019s no saying how long K-pop\u2019s industry reign will last, though it\u2019s safe to say their pop-cultural grip is undying.<\/p>\n\u201cWhen you\u2019re watching BLACKPINK perform, you almost respect them more because you know they fought so hard to get on that stage.”<\/q><\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n\u201cK-pop stars\u2019 constant media visibility, cross-cultural appeal, versatility in various talents, youthful energy, and strong social media presence make them attractive to brands.”<\/q><\/p>\n
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