Former WANNA ONE Stylist Takes Us Inside The World Of Brand Sponsorship For K-Celebs
On a recent episode of Omniscient Interfering View, comedian Yang Se Hyung‘s stylist, who used be a part of the team styling WANNA ONE members, took the viewers inside the world of fashion brand sponsorships for Korean celebrities and shared how much work actually goes into the trendy outfits that our favorite stars rock on stage and screen!
The stylist visited different sponsorship offices all over Seoul, Korea. These “offices” have on display the hottest, trendiest items from various fashion brands and offer them as rentals to the right celebrity, for the right occasion.
The inside of these fashion brand sponsorship offices is usually closed to the general public. As revealed on the show, thanks to Yang Se Hyung’s stylist, the offices look like a boutique clothing store, with different clothing items and accessories on display.
At each location, he carefully checked the products and picked out what might best suit his star, Yang Se Hyung.
People might look at these clothes and say they are hard to pull off even for Se Hyung. My job as a stylist is to take these clothes and style them right. It’d be nice if Se Hyung gets recognized as a stylish person.
— Yang Se Hyung’s Stylist
Some brands have “targets” which mean their products are only available to certain idol groups or certain actors. Depending on what the brand wants to represent, some clothes are unable to be rented out. Yang Se Hyung’s stylist pointed out that Korean comedians have it a little tougher, because not a lot of brands “target” comedians as their main clientele.
For example, when the stylist wanted to check out a pair of dress shoes for Yang Se Hyung, the sponsorship office denied the request because the shoe brand’s target is K-Pop idols. While Yang Se Hyung is a fabulous comedian and a well known celebrity himself, he doesn’t fit the brand’s target and so the shoes became unavailable for him.
The stylists are aware of how this targeting dynamic works and often have to negotiate with the offices or keep searching – which explains why the stylists must visit 10+ sponsorship locations in a day.
This, along with having to haul around countless sets of outfits, make up the physically rigorous part of being any Korean celebrity’s stylist. As rewarding as it is to dress up and style the celebrities, stylists keep a busy schedule and need a lot of stamina.
Once the stylist is done picking out the clothes, he shares details with the office staff to get the rentals approved. These offices consider who will wear the clothes, on what program, for how long, and decide if the sponsorship can be arranged. Yang Se Hyung’s stylist picked out several outfits for Yang Se Hyung and his most popular TV programs like the Omniscient Interfering View and All the Butlers.
Check out how Yang Se Hyung is pulling off the cheeky sweater on this show, from one of the outfits that the stylist got sponsored this day!
Most stylists must also search for and rent accessories, like bangs and hats, to style with the outfits. Yang Se Hyung’s stylist prefers to try them on personally – because he shares a similar size and shape with Yang Se Hyung. It takes not only a set of keen eyes, but also a ton of dedication and diligence to be a Korean celebrity’s stylist!
The stylist explained that as the star’s reputation as a fashionable trend-setter rises, it becomes easier for the sponsorships to come through. Because Yang Se Hyung has been gaining some popularity, the stylist is able to choose from a wider range of brands when he goes sponsorship hunting.
Se Hyung is getting pretty popular and I think the sponsors have a good impression of his fashion. We can pick up from a lot of places now. I’m really happy because of that. I have fun when I go to sponsors now.
— Yang Se Hyung’s Stylist
Even the other celebrities didn’t quite know about where and how exactly their stylists bring in their outfits. Both the hosts and viewers had a blast getting to learn about the world of fashion brand sponsorships and see a day as a K-Celeb’s stylist!
