Louis Vuitton has put together a prestigious roster of celebrity ambassadors globally over the years. Joining the line up is Chinese actor Dylan Wang (王鹤棣), who stars in a video debuting the brand’s latest collaboration line with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. That official post received more than 1 million reposts and nearly 680,000 likes on Weibo. The famed French luxury house snapped up the star with the announcement coming just several days before Maybelline also announced Wang as its new China ambassador.
So, who is the handsome 24-year-old actor with over 17 million Weibo followers? And how has his stardom risen in China? Born on December 20, 1998, Wang found fame by winning Youku’s variety show Super Idol in 2017. He then landed his first leading role as Dao Ming Si in the romantic Chinese TV drama Meteor Garden in 2018. Known for his sunny demeanor and positive attitude, Wang’s mainstream success in China came fast and easy.
The actor garnered attention this summer after starring in the popular historical fantasy drama Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀 ). The 36-episode drama took the number one spot on Chinese streaming platform iQiyi in 2022 and, according to stats, was played 2.67 billion times. Due to its popularity, iQiyi gained nearly 100 million new users in August from being the show’s streaming exclusive platform.
And the social media fervor over the trending show didn’t stop there. The show’s hashtag #苍兰诀 (Love Between Fairy and Devil) also generated 8.33 billion views on Weibo, with Wang personally gaining 4.81 million followers on Weibo and 6.87 million followers on Douyin during the show’s broadcast. Topics related to the TV drama hit a total of 23 billion views in all on Douyin, with the show title topic #苍兰诀 garnering 18.38 billion views.
Last month, Wang won “Actor of the Year” at China Esquire’s Man At His Best event and was named one of China GQ’s "Men of the Year" after being featured in both fashion magazines. Louis Vuitton and other brands including Maybelline have done well to tap Wang’s stratospheric rise, though Vuitton has been charting his journey and working with the star for 4 years. From the likes of Hollywood’s Millie Bobby Brown and Bradley Cooper, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, South Korean model and actress HoYeon Jung, to Japanese-American tennis sensation Naomi Osaka, the French luxury powerhouse has a history of choosing interesting talents as ambassadors.
Since severing their ties with disgraced star Kris Wu in 2021, LV announced Chinese boy idol band TNT (Teens in Times) as ambassadors last June, alongside Chinese Olympic champion snowboarder Su Yiming. With the addition of Wang, China’s actor du jour, the brand is effectively doubling down on its menswear market in China with a promising young Gen Z talent.