The first thing that comes to mind when you think “K-Pop” is usually the music, of course, but there’s another huge element to K-Pop fans that many of us get just as excited about ( at least, almost same) and this is fashion. K-Pop and fashion are essential to each other – and very few groups know that better than BLACKPINK.
Since the beginning of K-Pop, idols have built a distinct fashion style and then relied on it to make them stand out in the public eye and reinforce their personal brand. And at the same time, luxury houses have relied on idols and their immense popularity to establish a foothold in the Asian market. Thus, quite naturally, collaborations have been created between fashion brands and various influential idols.
BLACKPINK & Collaborations
Almost all groups that achieve a certain level of success end up with a series of highly profitable collaborations, but like I said before, almost no one does it better than BLACKPINK. The four members of what is (probably) the most successful girl group currently active in the industry have always relied on very strong personal images – and they would have been impossible to build without their ambassadors for a number of influential Europeans (especially the French). high fashion brands.
So let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most high-profile deals and sponsorships that have kept BLACKPINK—both as a group and as individuals—throughout the years. One might say, to the detriment of their musical career, but that’s a conversation for another time.
Jisoo
The group’s eldest member, Kim Jisoo is BLACKPINK’s main vocalist and visual—a quintessential K-Pop position that shows the member who most fits South Korea’s very strict beauty standards. Her image has always been classy and very feminine, which made her a perfect fit for her two massive brand deals – Dior and Cartier.
Jisoo’s partnership with Dior, in particular, has been going on for a long time now – she started in 2019 as a local ambassador for Dior Beauty and rose to the title of global ambassador for the entire brand in 2021. She has modeled a number of outfits and the brand’s makeup items on magazine covers and ad campaigns, and of course, she’s appeared in Dior’s runway show at Paris Fashion Week.
Her appearance at the Dior Spring/Summer 2022 show in Paris created a massive buzz, with fans trying to catch a glimpse of her at the Jardin des Tuileries show venue and a single post on her Instagram page about Fashion Week worth almost $2. million, according to Women’s Wear Daily.
Jisoo’s latest brand deal is the one she made in 2022 with Cartier, becoming its ambassador and joining the ranks of Panthère de Cartier with other celebrities and influencers from every corner of the world.
Jenny
Jennie is almost unanimously considered the “It Girl” of the third generation of K-Pop. The face of BLACKPINK as well as one of its rappers, Jennie’s fashion influence has been almost massive since her debut – which meant fashion brands were ready to go to war to work with her.
However, her style and personal preference meant that only one fashion house was suitable – Chanel, which was in dire need of someone to make the brand “relevant” again for young people. The South China Morning Post reports a quote from a Chanel Korea spokesperson regarding the brand’s partnership with Jennie: “Chanel aims for modernity. Young and trendy millennials are our target customers […] We are very interested in stylish K-Pop stars. Jennie’s brand loyalty as well as her fashion sense are well suited to Chanel’s image.”
Jennie is such a fan of Chanel that even before she started working with them, she earned the nickname “Human Chanel” from fans. The famous double C’s were often seen on her clothing and accessories.
In 2020, she also began collaborating with Gentle Monster, a South Korean luxury eyewear brand with which she launched her first collection – called “Jentle Home” – which included designs created with Jennie. They went on to have a second launch in 2022, which was preceded by the release of an app that reached number one on the Korean App Store, surpassing even the mighty TikTok.
Pink
Rosé, real name Chaeyoung Roseanne Park, who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, is the lead vocalist of BLACKPINK and one of the main reasons why their music is so distinctive and recognizable.
Her personal image is that of the indie musician, bubbly and fun on the one hand, and capable of raw emotion on the other – an archetype immediately symbolized by her hair, which she has kept blonde for most of her career. of BLACKPINK.
As an Australian fashion magazine Russian said, that makes her “the perfect Saint Laurent girl.” “Exciting and ethereal at the same time, she is both the girl next door and the girl in the rock show.” Her partnership with YSL was established in 2020 – after they had been without an ambassador for nearly sixty years.
Through Saint Laurent, Rosé was also the first Korean idol – along with rapper CL – to attend the Met Gala in New York in 2021. She also styled the brand’s clothes on a number of magazine covers in South Korea and Australia.
In 2021 Rosé also became a global ambassador for Tiffany & Co. In an interview with Elle Singapore, she said she has “always wanted to wear Tiffany jewelry. Being part of an iconic brand that has been a part of my life for so long makes it that much more special to me.”
Lisa
The group’s maknae as well as its powerhouse rapper Lisa – iconic bangs and all – is the most followed BLACKPINK girl on Instagram and arguably the most famous internationally, with massive fan bases across Asia – her native Thailand and especially China – and the rest of the world.
Her image, both on and off stage, has always been more on the sporty and elegant side, which made her a perfect fit for French fashion house Celine. Lisa became its global ambassador in 2020. She has appeared in a number of campaigns and on a wide range of magazine covers, as well as participated in the brand’s runway shows during Paris Fashion Week. Her most recent trip to Paris for Celine happened to be with BTS’s Taehyung and actor Park Bogum, and it basically set Twitter on fire.
In 2020 she was also chosen as one of the ambassadors for Italian jewelry brand Bulgari—she recently attended the 2022 Bulgari Gala with Anne Hathaway and Priyanka Chopra and for MAC Cosmetics, with whom she launched her beauty line.
BLACKPINK as a group
While the collaborations that Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa have as individuals are definitely the most high-profile, this list wouldn’t be complete without a look at some of the partnerships that BLACKPINK has created as a group over the years.
BLACKPINK’s group sponsorships range from cars—they were the global ambassadors for Kia Motors—to mobile devices—they promoted Samsung’s Galaxy A phone with a now-infamous dance challenge with their partnership with the game PUBG Mobile, as well as the avatar service ZEPTO.
Clothing brands are, of course, always present in the group’s deal portfolio. They have been the faces of Adidas, Puma and Reebok – as well as the first regional ambassadors for Shopee, a Singapore-based e-commerce platform.
(Featured Image: YG Entertainment/Samsung)
— The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that prohibits, but is not limited to, personal insults to everyonehate speech and trolling.-
Got a tip we should know? [email protected]
