Cartier Taps BTS’ Kim Taehyung as Global Brand Ambassador
PARIS — Cartier has tapped K-pop superstar Kim Taehyung — aka V, from BTS — as its newest global brand ambassador.
With the announcement, Kim debuted as the face of the jewelry brand’s newest campaign for its Panthère line. He appears in photos in a red suit jacket, decked out in a sculptural diamond ring, tête-à-tête panther bracelet, the Révélation d’une Panthère watch and a Panthère de Cartier necklace made of white gold, diamonds, onyx and emeralds.
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“When it came to embodying the magnetism and aura of the panther, our choice naturally fell on V. He has the look and strength of character. A personality whose choices are guided by creativity as a dancer, musician or art lover, with this style and this elegance that belong only to him,” said Cartier senior vice president and chief marketing officer Arnaud Carrez.
Kim “has the same creative spirit and magnetic gaze as the panther,” the company said in a statement. “These links of character make this artist, considered one of the most talented of his generation, an ideal Cartier ambassador to wear Panthère de Cartier jewelry creations.”
He “follows his trajectory with the same determination as the panther. A free spirit, both author and composer, he magnetizes an entire generation as a soloist and member of the group BTS. His unique voice, sense of choreography and fashion have made him an influential icon, with a power of attraction that he exercised from his first appearance on stage in 2013,” Cartier continued.
The news comes just after Cartier parent company Richemont reported double-digit growth in mainland China and triple-digit growth in Hong Kong and Macau, while sales in the Americas fell by 2 percent in the first fiscal quarter.
Since announcing a hiatus in 2022, BTS members have signed on with various brands. Kim is also a global ambassador for Celine, and has brought massive crowds to wait outside of the brand’s Paris Fashion Week shows.
Brands have been snapping up K-pop stars with results. Loewe recruited NCT’s Taeyong as a global brand ambassador ahead of its spring 2024 men’s show at Paris Fashion Week, landing it the top spot on Lyst Index’s hottest brands ranking for the first time in the second quarter of 2023.
Kim joins the Cartier family including fellow K-pop star Blackpink’s Jisoo, who joined as brand ambassador in May 2022.
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