Over the past few years, more and more K-pop idols have been selected as the global ambassadors of various luxury brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, CELINE, Gucci, Dior, Miu Miu, and more.

On October 4, IVE's Jang Won Young appeared at the Miu Miu show held in Paris. As soon as the idol appeared, reporters and photographers shouted her name to get her attention and flashed their cameras. 

In this same manner, various K-pop idols made their way to Paris for the 2023 Spring/Summer Paris Fashion Week, held from September 26 to October 4. Unlike previous years, K-pop idols have become the "face" of various luxury brands since Big Bang's G-Dragon became the first male K-pop artist to be selected as Chanel's global ambassador in 2016. Now, it's difficult to find luxury fashion shows without K-pop idols in attendance. This year might be the year with the most K-pop idols making their appearance in these fashion shows. Not only have members from BLACKPINK been seen, but numerous idols from fourth-generation groups that recently debuted were invited to Paris for the fashion week. Other K-pop idols who were recently seen in Paris included 2NE1's Dara, Girls Generation's YoonA, f(x)'s Amber, and ASTRO's Cha Eun Woo.

Jang Won Young, who belongs to IVE, a girl group that debuted less than a year ago, has been invited to Paris and stayed in a hotel room which costs 1,115 euros (~1,092.11 USD) per night with floral decorations provided by the jewelry brand FRED. All members of aespa, which debuted about two years ago, also attended the Givenchy fashion show after the entire group was selected as brand ambassadors.

According to the fashion industry, competition among luxury brands to select new girl groups as ambassadors is fierce. This is due to the fact that BLACKPINK’s Jennie is called the "human Chanel," and Jisoo is called the "human Dior," making it difficult to find alternative promoters. It has become more important to identify girl groups that will grow in the future and to recruit them from the beginning of their debut. In fact, Jang Won Young often wore Miu Miu products from the beginning of her IVE debut. NewJeans, who debuted in July, also appeared at Chanel events and photo shoots at the same time as their debut, and there is the potential for the rookie girl group to become the next generation of Chanel ambassadors.

Lim Ji Yeon, head of Samsung Fashion Research Institute, said, “Global consumers’ interest in K-content, which starts from K-pop and leads to K-fashion, is growing. It is a phenomenon that is further strengthened as the MZ generation (millennials and generation Z) emerge as the main customer base by creating an image with the company.”

A video clip of JISOO with Pietro Beccari, the CEO of Christian Dior, and Bernard Arnault, the CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy:

The background that luxury brands pay attention to new girl groups is the hyper-growth of K-pop. According to Hanwha Investment & Securities, BLACKPINK recorded 690,000 copies in sales during the first five years of their debut (sales in the first week of release), but aespa sold a million copies just in their second year (1.2 million copies), and LE SSERAFIM and NewJeans both recorded sales of 300,000 and 310,000 copies, respectively, for their debut albums setting a new record in K-pop history. IVE also became a million-seller (accumulated 1.31 million copies as of the 29th of last month based on the circle chart) with their third single, 'After Like.'

Park Soo Young, a researcher at Hanwha Investment & Securities, said, “Various indicators show that the performance of 4th generation idol groups is rising at a faster rate than in the past. These new artist's influence has grown considerably, given the record sales record."

These fourth-generation K-pop artists hugely influence the next generation of luxury buyers, so it's understandable why luxury brands are scrambling to sign these idols.