Why stars like Blackpink are ideal high jewellery ambassadors: Rosé, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa are all signed by luxury brands for a reason, as Chanel, Cartier and Tiffany turn to East Asian celebrities

Dec 25 , 2022

From left: Song Hye-kyo sporting the Ondes et Merveilles de Chaumet high jewellery collection; Blackpink’s Jisoo wearing the Tutti Mikuti high jewellery necklace from Cartier’s Beautés du Monde collection; Blackpink’s Lisa wearing pieces from Bulgari’s Eden The Garden of Wonders high jewellery collection in Paris. Photos: Handout

Blackpink’s members have all been snapped up by competing European luxury brands – Jennie partnered with Chanel, Lisa wears Bulgari, Jisoo partnered with Chanel, and Rosé models Tiffany & Co.

Chaumet wooed K-drama star Song Hye-kyo and K-pop singers Nayeon and Cha Eun-woo, as Western heritage brands race to sign faces that chime with the Gen Z shoppers of tomorrow

After a near-decade in the music business, singer Rosé is thinking about the next phase of her career. In a shoot captured by fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti, famed for snapping Kate Moss’ iconic Calvin Klein campaign in the 1990s, the K-pop superstar from girl group Blackpink is looking ahead, dressed in head-to-toe black and draped with Tiffany & Co’s swanky HardWear collection.

“I’ve always loved wearing Tiffany jewellery. To be part of an iconic brand that has been part of my life for a long time makes it that much more special to me,” Rosé said of her collaboration with the New York-based retailer.

Blackpink’s Lisa has partnered with high jewellery house Bulgari. Photo: Handout

More so than ever, heritage houses are signing popular East Asian celebrities as brand ambassadors in an attempt to appeal to new generations of jewellery enthusiasts. Rosé joins band members Lisa, Jennie and Jisoo as one of many K-pop and Chinese celebrities to have recently secured costly contracts, some of which run into a staggering six or seven figures.

When we wanted to embody the magnetic aura of the panther, our attention was instinctively drawn to Jisoo

Arnaud Carrez, Cartier

In June, Lisa attended the unveiling of Bulgari’s high jewellery collection in Paris where she made headlines for sporting the same shade of yellow as Hollywood sweetheart Anne Hathaway. Jennie was welcomed into the Chanel family last March as the newest face of its Coco Crush jewellery line.

Kristen Stewart and Jennie Kim at the Chanel ready-to-wear spring/summer 2023 fashion collection on October 4, in Paris. Photo: AP

For businesses, the hope is that these stylish stars will inject their storied brands with a breath of fresh air. They bring a much-needed change from the predictable sea of prim bouclé that swaddles show audiences at fashion shows. Plus, they hold sway over millions of fans across Asia and beyond.

Jisoo is South Korea’s third most-followed music artist on Instagram with 65 million followers and counting, and is a member of Cartier’s Panthère community which also includes Taiwanese actor Chang Chen. “When we wanted to embody the magnetic aura of the panther, our attention was instinctively drawn to Jisoo,” said Arnaud Carrez, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer of Cartier.