SING IT BACK: Loewe has signed on K-pop sensation Taeyong, a member and leader of South Korean boy band NCT, as its newest global brand ambassador, WWD has learned.
The rapper is expected to attend Loewe’s spring 2024 menswear show in Paris, scheduled for noon on Saturday.
Foreshadowing his relationship with Loewe, Taeyong often wears the brand’s runway styles, mixing them with more casual items. He wore a padded leather shirt and leather board shorts to Loewe’s fall 2023 women’s fashion show in Paris in March.
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Partial to purple, silver, or fluorescent green hair, Taeyong counts 11 million followers on Instagram, where he shows off his many tattoos, eclectic fashion sensibility and mesmerizing dance moves.
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“We love his idiosyncratic style,” commented Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson. “With Taeyong’s many talents spanning songwriting, performing and visual creation, I’m really excited to see what this collaboration will bring.”
“I’ve been a huge fan of Loewe, not only for the designs, but also for the brand’s philosophy and unique way of communicating,” Taeyong added, alluding to Loewe’s positioning as a cultural brand prizing craft and freewheeling expression.
The 27-year-old singer and songwriter has also been a member of South Korean supergroup SuperM, and earlier this month released his first solo album, titled “Shalala.”
Anderson has assembled a range of talents to represent Loewe, casting Sir Anthony Hopkins and “The White Lotus” actor Murray Bartlett in recent ad campaigns, for example.
Loewe’s other global brand ambassadors include Josh O’Connor, Tang Wei, Taylor Russell, Leo Wu, Stephane Bak and South Korean girl group Nmixx.
European fashion houses are racing to sign on K-pop stars as a way to engage Gen-Z and capitalize on the stars’ avid followers.
For example, Prada recently signed the seven members of South Korean music sensation Enhypen as its latest ambassadors.
Also on the men’s front, earlier this year Dior signed BTS member Jimin as a global ambassador; Louis Vuitton signed on BTS member J-Hope and cast him in a campaign for its Keepall bag; Valentino named BTS member Suga as a brand ambassador, and Givenchy unveiled Taeyang, a member of Big Bang and a solo artist, as its newest brand ambassador.