Valentino names Suga from BTS as brand ambassador

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 17, 2023

Valentino has named popstar Suga of BTS as its latest brand ambassador as it continues on its quest for “authenticity and individuality, by scouting personas, who embody the Maison values”.

He’s also specifically the face of the ‘Maison Valentino Essentials’ campaign. Essentials is “a quest for essence conducted within the perimeter of the masculine wardrobe and the elements that make up for it: an edit of pieces culled from the Valentino collections, streamlined to their design essence and organised into an expandable, ever-evolving system”. 

The brand’s signing of Suga underlines the importance of linking up with stars and influencers who can appeal to young Asia-Pacific consumers as that region remains the key growth driver for luxury.

And South Korea is a key source country for such stars, its music and film industry producing a steady stream of celebs whose appeal is local but also spreads far beyond its borders.

So what about Suga? Valentino said he’s a “contemporary DI.VAs”. That’s a wordplay, “an acronym denoting Different Values. The Valentino DI.VAs are multifaceted character of codes, upheld by inner values. Empathetic, intelligent and romantic. For Pierpaolo Piccioli, DI.VAs is the essence of authenticity, progressive ideals and diversity that lead to change and convey the value of the Maison”.

It added that Suga has “created his own style as a rapper, songwriter, producer and performer, while being a member of the global pop icons BTS. His unique style and music world is a way to convey values that lead to a change. Sometimes under the stage name of August D [he] has the capacity to express all the values of the brand and embodies the identity values of a generation he speaks for in his spontaneous and contemporary way”.