BTS, Enhypen, And Menswear Shows: Dior Wins Paris And Prada Makes Biggest Impact In Milan

What happened Outside the Paris show venue, fans went wild for BTS members J-Hope and Jimin, with the latter unveiled as Dior Homme’s latest house ambassador. It was a star-studded front row. David Beckham, Eddie Redmayne, Robert Pattison, J Balvin, and Naomi Campbell joined the K-pop stars for Kim Jones’ Fall 23 ode to Yves Saint Laurent’s time at Christian Dior. Star power and K-pop frenzy made this the biggest show in the Paris schedule so far with an Earned Media Value (EMV) of 30.2 million (205 million RMB), according to social media data agency Lefty. While Dior offered a moment of frenzy, of fashion at fever pitch, the Milan men’s shows presented a pared-down elegance more befitting of the times. Tailoring, minimalism, and sparsity took over Italian runways with designers distilling their ideas into the essential. Without Alessandro Michele’s star maximalism at Gucci, it was Prada’s collection by Raf Simons and Miuccia Prada that took the EMV title in Milan with 32 million (213 million RMB), as calculated by Lefty. The Jing Take Dior Homme’s Paris outing was the first since LVMH owner Bernard Arnault’s daughter Delphine Arnault was announced as CEO of the storied French house. It looks, with so many stars in attendance, very much like a strategic show of confidence in her leadership. Judging by the social media response, Dior intends to start Delphine off with a bang. What is clear from the menswear shows so far is that celebrity and fandom matter, both when it comes to front rows and creative directors. In Milan, Prada’s show-stealing collection was joined in the top five by Gucci (7 million/47 million RMB EMV), Fendi (4 million/27 million RMB), JW Anderson (3 million/20 million RMB), and Dolce & Gabbana (2 million/14 million RMB). The drastic difference in EMV — of 25 million (170 million RMB) between Prada, who had the seven-member K-pop band Enhypen at its show, and Gucci, where one sorely felt the absence of Michele’s star power — is remarkable. Michele’s last Twinsburg show during the 2022 women’s ready-to-wear week had, by comparison, earned the brand 14.4 million (98 million RMB) in EMV. What does this mean for brands? Well for one, K-pop is clearly still a winner with young fans (and social media). Its influence on fashion is refusing to wane, and it seems that every mega luxury line is rushing to sign a celebrity from this pool of talent. Chinese K-pop star Jackson Wang’s new ambassadorship was announced at Louis Vuitton just as Dior formalized Jimin’s new role. For brands in limbo after losing star designers, it can be tricky to maintain strong, defining looks. Auteur creatives such as Michele and Virgil Alboh turned an aesthetic chapter at their famed luxury houses, commanding huge cult and mainstream followings — making them a hard act to follow. Perhaps it’s here that labels need to turn evermore to K-pop, and harness the power of its fervent celebrity fandom in Asia and globally. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

BTS, Enhypen, And Menswear Shows: Dior Wins Paris And Prada Makes Biggest Impact In Milan

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Published January 23, 2023

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BTS, Enhypen, And Menswear Shows: Dior Wins Paris And Prada Makes Biggest Impact In Milan