BTS Graces Louis Vuitton Men’s FW21 Show In Seoul As House Ambassadors
Louis Vuitton presented a Fall/Winter 2021 spin-off collection by men’s artistic director Virgil Abloh in Seoul starring house ambassadors and pop icons, BTS. The group’s participation marks their first official appearance as brand ambassadors as they grace the “stage” at Buncheon Art Bunker B39, an art and culture space. They were previously invited to the Fall/Winter 2021 show earlier this year and wore all Louis Vuitton suits at the Grammys red carpet.
The event features a dedicated moving-image performance by the septet—RM, Suga, Jin, J-hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook—each decked in FW21 pieces. Directed by Korean director Jeon Go-woon, the film stages a conversation between space, movement and the global connectivity central to our moment in time by making use of the venue’s various floors. It also explores the city of Seoul through the lens of diversity. As we move from member to member, they gaze at each other as if they’re conversing and showcase their explosive visuals.
Expanding on the original idea proposed in the Fall/Winter 2021 collection, the 41-look spin-off also included 34 new looks. BTS wore seven looks individually and another seven in a group shot—all of which were originally presented in the performance art film back in January 2021. Shot in slow motion, each member flaunted the pieces as they gracefully move around the industrial venue—echoing the film’s central theme of space, movement and global connectivity. The soundtrack featured an original score written and produced by Cifika, Kim Kate and Net Gala.
See also: BTS Announced As Louis Vuitton’s New Global Brand Ambassadors
BTS Transformed Into Runway Models for Louis Vuitton’s F/W21 Show
Fashion shows are always a sight to behold but anticipation for the Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Fall/Winter 2021 show ran especially high when it was announced that BTS would be taking part. After being announced as global ambassadors for the luxury brand in April, the legendary septet modeled pieces from Vigil Abloh’s latest collection on July 7 in a fashion film presentation directed by South Korean filmmaker Jeon Go-woon.
The inspiration behind the collection came from the “idea of challenging preconceived notions and reimagining established codes,” Virgil Abloh discussed in his show notes. The so-called “spin-off show” is a continuation of the Fall 2021 Menswear Collection, shown in Paris back in January. The show also echoes Virgil Abloh’s The Voyage project, started in 2020, whereby shows travel to the destinations of Louis Vuitton’s global community. Much like its predecessor, the Fall/Winter 2021 collection is an ode to traveling, made evident with the inclusion of airplane buttons on coats and oversized travel bags as well as the opening narrator. “I had been a pilot for around seven years. In the midst of bad weather, I began my trip having gone through countless amounts of typhoons. I was familiar with the skies but I came across a totally foreign place. Tall skyscrapers, wide windows, and long halls," the show began.
The septet strutted across the Bucheon’s Art Bunker B39 with smoldering looks, previously shown in the January runway. They walked alongside other models, including famous Nigerian-Korean model and actor Han Hyun Min, who sported 34 brand-new looks, making for a total of 41. Common threads included bold colors, over-the-top outerwear, and, of course, plenty of Louis Vuitton’s signature monogram.
Jimin started off the show in a light marbled suit and salmon-colored, gold sunglasses. RM had the most accessories of the group, donning an oversized dark suit with a large matching hat, and a silver briefcase. Suga wore a chic black suit with green and white sneakers that perfectly matched his sash that bore the writings of conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner. J-Hope modeled a suit that encapsulated the theme of the show with the map of the world embroidered onto his jacket and tie. Both Jungkook and V wore crisp black suits. V held an oversized Louis Vuitton coffee cup-shaped bag (which is ironic since fans learned in one Run BTS! episode that he doesn’t particularly enjoy coffee) while Jungkook put the brand’s statement jewelry in full display. Finally, Jin closed out on a high note in a checkered crimson and black coat.
The South Korean group’s vibrant style has garnered the attention of the fashion crowd for years now. Dior’s Kim Jones famously created exclusive performance outfits for the group’s Love Yourself: Speak Yourself world tour. They also landed a spot on Vanity Fair’s 2019 Best Dressed List and were named British GQ’s Best Boy Group in 2021. There’s no doubt that their first major project with Louis Vuitton is only further cementing their high-fashion status.
Rewatch the show below:
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BTS and Virgil Abloh show off their flashy Louis Vuitton fashion collab
Virgil Abloh is launching a spin-off to his Fall 2021 Louis Vuitton collection — and it’ll be brought to life by none other than BTS. The designer has tapped the boy band to feature in a fashion film directed by South Korean filmmaker Jeon Go-Woon, which includes 34 new looks and seven from the original FW21 collection.
In April, each member of BTS was enlisted as a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton, boosting the luxury brand’s image (and sales) to new heights. A video of BTS receiving an invitation to LV’s FW21 show is currently the brand’s most liked and retweeted post to date, thanks to the band’s worldwide popularity.
Take a trip with BTS — While BTS’ fame certainly benefits Abloh’s spin-off, the designer claims the point of the project is to present his collections in different ways and contexts across the globe. With his original capsule exploring the idea of travel, the fashion film will be “a conversation between space, movement, and global connectivity,” Abloh told WWD.
Serving as an ode to traveling, the film opens with a narrator: “I had been a pilot for around seven years. In the midst of bad weather, I began my trip having gone through countless amounts of typhoons. I was familiar with the skies but I came across a totally foreign place. Tall skyscrapers, wide windows, and long halls," the show began, with the narrator seemingly describing the opening setting.
The film, which takes place in BTS’ hometown of Seoul, sees the boy band members don bright outfits while making their way through a series of steel cages in a concrete warehouse. Each member of the band — of which there are seven — wears one outfit from the spin-off, nodding to the travel theme through airplane buttons and oversized travel bags. Above the scene, a small blimp reading “Hope” eerily hovers, perhaps commenting on the past year inside which was largely spent without travel.
Louis Vuitton
Show-stoppers — In tune with the shuttered feeling, onlookers don’t get much of a view of Seoul. But Abloh insists that BTS embodies the “vibe” of the city completely, he told WWD. “They add their spin to the collection, make it their own and take it to new heights.” Accordingly, Abloh has styled each BTS member with their own characteristics in mind.
Jimin, widely considered the most fashionable of the band members, opens the show in a light marbled suit and gold sunglasses. Following his debut is RM — the first member of the band — who dons an oversized dark suit accessorized with a matching hat and silver briefcase. Suga then appears wearing a black suit with green and white sneakers.
Louis Vuitton
J-Hope models a suit that encapsulates the show’s travel theme with a map of the world embroidered onto his jacket and tie. Jungkook and V, on the other hand, keep it simple in crisp black suits accessorized by an oversized coffee cup-shaped bag and statement jewelry. Jin closes out the film in a checkered crimson and black coat.
The spin-off has made it clear that BTS knows how to put on a show, music or not. There’s no doubt the band’s first major project with Louis Vuitton has only cemented their high-fashion status.