10 rising Asian stars taking over the fashion scene
Everyone is talking about the fact that China is one of the top priority hubs for fashion brands.
But let's not forget the influence and power other Asian countries have like Thailand, South Korea and Japan. In the recent years, we have spotted an alarming growth of Asian celebrities becoming the centre of attention at the biggest fashion shows and events.
Add that with a number of designer collaborations with them (think Fendi for Taeyang and Burberry x Kris Wu), it is without a doubt that Asian celebrities now stand in the forefront of fashion.
Fan Bing Bing and G-Dragon (the first of them to rise) aside, let's find out who are the new Asian players in the scene right now.
Here are 10 Asian celebrities you see at fashion events and runway shows (and might not even recognize):
First recognised in his role as the lead in the popular gay-themed web series "Addicted", Timmy Xu (@timmyxu) has fast become a prominent star, thanks to his good looks and talent.
A multi-talented actor, singer and songwriter, Timmy is the first solo Mainland Chinese artist to hold a concert in South Korea and to be invited as a guest to the 2017 Billboard Music Award.
In fashion, he has also nabbed the coveted role as the face for the Coach Spring/Summer 2018 menswear campaign.
He has also been spotted at Paris Fashion Week last year, alongside megawatt star Fan Bing Bing.
Gaining over 2 million followers on Instagram in the first week she created her account (@jennierubyjane), Jennie of BlackPink is the star to watch out for in the Asian region.
Scoring an average of a million likes per post, Jennie is a force to be reckoned with and the first who snatched her up was Chanel, who hosted her for the launch of Les Eaux de Chanel in Deauville, France.
Seems that she will be the new staple for the coming shows in September.
A heartthrob that has been named one of the "The Sexiest Living Men Now", Minho (not to be confused with Lee Min-ho!) is part of the successful K-Pop band, SHINee, and is known for his talent in acting, singing, rapping and dancing.
A regular in the fashion scene including Gucci and Coach, this Hallyu icon is one that melts hearts everyone with his flaming charisma.
Even without an Instagram account, if you look through his name hashtags (#최민호, #choiminho and other variations), you'd find over at least a few million photos of him posted by his dedicated fans.
Now, that's what we call K-Wave.
We met him personally during the recent Gucci Cruise 2019 show and boy, are we smitten (see our photo here)!
Kim Jong-in aka Kai, the main dancer of the South Korean boy band EXO, is fast becoming a staple in fashion shows worldwide and his appearance at the Gucci Cruise 2019 show was as viral as the show itself – all thanks to his army of fans.
Returning with a new account on Instagram (he deleted his previous in 2015), his new personal account (@zkdlin) broke Kylie Jenner's record of the most followers in the first 10 hours of creating the account, amassing over 1 million followers in a mere few hours.
Another EXO member who topped the fashion charts recently is Oh Se-hun (more commonly known as Sehun).
Named by American Vogue as the "Best-Dressed Man at Louis Vuitton" for his appearance at the Cruise 2019 show, Sehun has always been know as the chic one in his group and a regular at the shows of late.
With over 13.8 million (and counting) followers on Instagram (@oohsehun) alone, it's safe to say that Sehun is a rising star in the scene.
And speaking of the Louis Vuitton show, another Asian celebrity that caught our eye is Urassaya Sperbund (or Yaya), a Thai-Norwegian award-winning actress.
Having featured in a Louis Vuitton watch campaign (and she's also the first Thai native to do so) with the likes of Jaden Smith, Jennifer Connelly and Catherine Deneuve, Yaya is a fashion force to be reckoned with, internationally!
And her 6.7 million followers on Instagram (@urassayas) will attest to it!
Said to be the first Korean celebrity ever invited to a Prada collection show during Milan Fashion Week, Max Changmin is a nostalgic face we all remember from the early 2000s.
A core member of TVXQ, one of the first worldwide K-Pop phenomenon, Max storms back to the forefront of fashion and music with his appearance at MFW and TVXQ's comeback album.
With the members all fresh out of military service, this marks the return of the supergroup and now invading the fashion scene.
Kozue Akimoto (@akimoto_kozue) has been going around fashion shows for years but not just as a model, she is also a favourite for front-row seats at shows like Givenchy, Moncler Gamme Rouge, Off-White and Valentino, as well as Japanese labels like Sacai, Undercover and, of course, Comme des Garçons.
Charismatic and stylish, she is one loved by street style photographers and so much that, she already has a second book, titled "Kozue" out, featuring photos, illustrations and essays to celebrate her 30th birthday.
Another Korean singer loved by fashion is definitely Seunghoon (@maetamong) of WINNER.
Adored by Burberry, he first made his appearance at the Burberry September 2017 show and caused a major buzz with his fellow band member, Mino (Song Min-ho).
Since then, Seunghoon has spotted wearing various Burberry outfits wherever he goes including Christopher Bailey's final Burberry collection, which was dedicated to the LGBTQ rainbow.
An award-winning actress known for her roles in Zhang Yimou's Under the Hawthorn Tree, Zhou Dongyu (@zhoudongyu) is a face to remember.
And like Seunghoon, Zhou is loved by Burberry and she is also appointed as Burberry's first female brand ambassador in Asia, which makes perfect sense.
According to Alibaba rating, Zhou's fans are the top group to spend the most on anything relating to her. Add that with Forbes's recognition of her as one of the "most promising Asian celebrities", you have a new fashion powerhouse.
One of the most popular pop singers in China and one of the 30 Most Promising Teenagers, according to Time magazine, Roy Wang (@roy_____wang)garners over 43 million fans on the Chinese social media app Weibo.
Only 17 years old, he has been actively sought after by countless brands including Chopard, Givenchy, H&M and more.
It was said that the cries of his fans were audible even in the entire Courts of Justice, where the show was held.
