K-pop star Felix of Stray Kids recently donned a Louis Vuitton trucker jacket in its Bubble Damier pattern for a performance in Fukuoka, Japan, foreshadowing tighter ties with the French luxury brand.
He just signed on as a house ambassador, and no one could be more excited than Nicolas Ghesquière, artistic director of women’s collections at Vuitton.
“I discovered Felix when I presented my pre-fall collection in Seoul,” Ghesquière said, referring to the monumental pre-fall fashion spectacle he mounted last April on the Jamsugyo Bridge that spans the Hangang River. “It instantly clicked between us. He is really talented. I love his energy, his unique personality and his audacious sense of style.”
Born in Australia, the South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and dancer is one of eight members of Stray Kids, prized for his deep voice and slick moves. The band was created by JYP Entertainment, and was propelled by the 2017 reality show of the same name.
Its music has been described as a mash-up of hip-hop, EDM, funk, hardcore, R&B and pop. The band has topped the U.S. Billboard 200, entered the U.K. Albums Chart, and sold more than 10 million albums to date.
The band was nominated for best K-pop act at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards.
Felix also attended Ghesquière’s 2024 cruise show for Vuitton on the Italian island of Isola Bella last May, and the designer dressed him for the Lollapalooza music festival in Paris over the summer.
Fan pages on Instagram suggest Felix has an affection for jeans jackets, cropped blousons, roomy T-shirts, layered necklaces and vivid blue hair.
The young star counts 6.2 million followers on his official Instagram page, where he can be seen wearing LV monogram pants, a baseball cap, leather jacket and trucker jacket, in addition to such choice accessories as a quilted leather GO-14 bag and a Camera Box style.
Fashion brands are signing on K-pop stars at a furious pace as the music’s popularity spreads worldwide.
Other Vuitton ambassadors affiliated with K-pop include J-Hope from BTS, Jackson Wang and Hyein from NewJeans. BTS were previously signed as collective ambassadors for the French luxury brand.