Asian Stars Dominated Men’s and Haute Couture Week, Launchmetrics Reports
The fashion industry welcomed 2024 on a high note. Star-studded front rows, buzz-worthy runways and the excitement of a new fashion circuit took over the major fashion capitals for Men’s Fashion Week and Haute Couture Week.
Data company Launchmetrics monitored both events to bring key insights. The software company, which specializes in luxury fashion, shared its final report “FW24 Men’s Fashion Week & SS24 Haute Couture Week” on February 28. Here’s a recap of the main takeaways.
Prada, the Hottest Brand at Men’s Milan Fashion Week
Every Fashion Week is an opportunity to witness the power of brands and Key Opinion Leaders. In its latest show, Prada — which has consistently remained at the top of brand rankings over the last couple of years — amplified the voices of celebrity brand ambassadors and house friends, who made up 48% of Prada’s Media Impact Value™ (MIV®).
South Korean and Thai stars were among the most-talked-about celebrity appearances at Prada’s show. K-pop star Karina, member of aespa, generated $4.2 million in MIV®, with additional conversations related to the singer racking up $7.3 million. Likewise, Prada’s ambassador and fashion darling, Win Metawin, who is a fixture at every brand show, garnered $2.9 million in MIV® and $6.2 million via media headlines. The Men’s Fall Winter 2024 show marked Win’s fourth appearance at the event, but the actor’s influence shows no signs of stopping or slowing down.
Other notable APAC stars driving Prada’s Media Impact Value™ were Enhypen, Lee Jae-Wook and Jaehyun, who generated $2.9 million, $1.7 million and $796K respectively. Prada ultimately generated $32.3 million in MIV®.
Gucci and Dolce and Gabanna
The Sabato de Sarno-led brand, Gucci, attracted attention with the creative director’s menswear debut, garnering $22.8 million in MIV®. Just like it happened at Prada, APAC stars became the focus of the front rows. According to Launchmetrics, house friends and brand ambassadors Gulf Kanawut, IU and Hanni (NewJeans) respectively racked up $1.8 million, $1 million and $594K in MIV®.
Meanwhile, Dolce & Gabbana secured the third spot with a total of $18.1 million in MIV®. The attendance of South Korean actor Rowoon, Japanese singer Raul and Thai star Force accrued $1.3 million, $603K and $545K respectively.
Louis Vuitton Led Numbers in Paris
Generally the best-performing event in the fashion circuit, Men’s Paris Fashion Week tallied a combined total of $205.8 million in MIV®. The influence of APAC was at an all-time during the star-studded affair — South Korea, Thai, Chinese and Japanese stars left a mark on the front rows. Further reflecting fashion’s sustained interest in the region, five APAC countries placed at the top in the country split ranking — South Korea, Japan, Thailand, India and China.
With Pharrell Williams at the helm, Louis Vuitton thrived during the menswear season. The brand racked up $40.9 million in MIV®, 23% of which came from Louis Vuitton’s owned media. Some of the most buzz-worthy attendants were brand ambassadors Jackson Wang and BamBam, members of K-pop group GOT7 and solo artists who have carved a name in the fashion world thanks to their strong social media presence and style affinities. Both singers accrued $2 million through placements on their own social channels. Similarly, Japanese stars Sho Hirano and Takanori Iwata and Chinese actor Dylan Wang gathered $2 million, $1.2 million and $1 million in MIV®, respectively.
Dior and Loewe
Kim Jones’ latest collection was showcased in front of a noteworthy list of guests that included celebrities, entertainers, and sportspeople, from K-pop group TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) to F1 legend Lewis Hamilton. The show earned $30.8 million in MIV®, with celebrities tallying 43% of the total. The big stars at the event were TXT, who were responsible for owned and adjacent mentions worth $6.6 million in MIV®. Other South Korean celebrities such as Jung Hae-In, Cha Eun Woo, NewJeans’s Haerin and Hwang In Youp authored personal posts worth $1.7 million, $1.2 million, $1.1 million and $781K respectively. It is worth noting that some of these stars were not physically present at the show.
LOEWE took the third place in the brand ranking, accruing $15.5M in MIV®. The show was a parade of A-list stars, including a rare appearance of former One Direction member Zayn Malik. In fact, the singer was responsible for media buzz worth $2.6 million. Andrew Garfield, Jamie Dornan and Thai actor Dew garnered $2.1 million, $1.9 million and $1.8 million in MIV®, each.
Haute Couture Week
Spring Summer 2024 Haute Couture Week was full of remarkable moments on and off the runways. The event gathered a total of $232.2M in MIV® and saw ReemAbou Samra ($2.6 million in MIV®) and Brazilian actress Gessica Kayane ($4.2 million in MIV®) emerge as the top influencer and celebrity. Additionally, Brazil and Mexico made it to the fourth and eighth places in the country split, suggesting a new trend of Latin American stars slowly infiltrating the front rows of Haute Couture Week.
Dior, Schiaparelli and Chanel Rule Couture
Just like in previous years, French giant Dior topped the brand ranking with $40.7 million in MIV®. South Korean actress Han So-hee was responsible for a top placement worth $728K while Thai actress Tu Tontawan, who was not physically present at the show, accrued $427K in MIV® with an Instagram post. The main star at the event, however, was Rihanna, who prompted media conversation worth $9.3M in MIV®.
With heavy hitters such as Zendaya, Hunter Schafer and Jennifer Lopez sitting front row, Schiaparelli ranked second ($33 million in MIV®). Coverage about the show heavily centered on Zendaya, whose appearance represented 44% of the total show coverage — discussions around her amassed $14.4 million MIV®.
Rounding up the ranking, Chanel took the third spot, garnering $24.7 million in MIV®. The brand amassed $4.5 million in MIV® on their owned media (own social channels). Meanwhile, brand ambassador Minji of NewJeans authored $1.1 million in MIV® through personal social media posts.
APAC Power
Although celebrities from the Asia Pacific region have been a regular presence in fashion for years, Fall Winter 2024 Men’s Fashion Week and Spring Summer 2024 Haute Couture Week proved beyond any doubt that they have become key players in the industry. By helping to position brand names on social media and generating conversations around fashion shows, these celebrities’ influence is reshaping the global luxury landscape.
Want to read more fashion content? Revisit the highlights of the Dior Fall Winter 2024 presentation here.
