Why fashion brands need K-pop stars How global economy influences pop culture

Their names invade our screens as soon as we search for a brand on X, the images depicting them greeting paparazzi and fans outside the runway venue are in high definition, so much so they blur  out everything around them. It's not easy to pinpoint the exact moment when K-pop stars became the gravitational center of Fashion Week, but what is certain is that their participation in the event is now more prominent than ever. At the Dior SS24 show, the presence of ambassador Jisoo generated $8.1 million in MIV, a total greater than at least 86% of the other brands that participated in PFW. Her Instagram account, with over 77 million followers, doesn't document every moment of her day leading up to the show, but for that there's fans. Blogs entirely devoted to the stars update every move in real-time, from being spotted at Charles De Gaulle airport to sitting front row at the runway. Posts, reposts, and hashtags contribute to fueling engagement around the artists, transforming images of them in fully branded looks into giant media bubbles overshadowing the shows themselves. This ever growing attention towards K-pop stars has led the world's largest fashion houses to invest in their image, creating a media whirlwind on the rise. But who are the specific faces of K-pop music, and how are they able to influence fashion brand sales and perception? The cultural shift towards a more sensitive and "babygirl" aesthetic is certainly impacting the stars' careers, but there's more to it. We tried to investigate the phenomenon, evaluating the numerical impact of the audience at Milan and Paris Fashion Week. Analysing social media posts related to the event, we derived estimates of the most mentioned recurring faces and the wave of interactions they generated.

Anyone participating in Fashion Week is aware of the impact of K-pop stars at the shows. Fans flock outside the venues in crowds, hoping to see their idol, wishing for a greeting and a chance to take a selfie. Like One Direction and The Beatles for past generations, Korean bands have completely captivated Gen Z and Gen Alpha, with the difference that the former were only two bands with five members each, while the latter represents a market in itself - growing at 31.7% year over year - containing dozens of successful groups. Just as in the '90s, we witnessed the era of top models, in the 2000s, Hollywood actors took the stage, and in the 2010s, influencers entered forcefully the industry, the increased interest from fashion giants in K-pop idols is nothing but the natural result of the progress of celebrity marketing. What has developed is now a codependent relationship: fashion houses leverage the virality of K-pop music and bands to enhance the media impact of their shows, while the stars take advantage of the event to establish a deeper connection with their fans. Like everything else, their grip on the world will soon wane, but as long as the currency of Fashion Week continues to be MIV, K-pop stars are getting their invite.