While it’s been already some time since the 2024 Global Fashion Management Conference at Milan took place, 11-14 July, I find it to be a turning point for me as it was my first step into academia – and so I needed some time to process the whole experience.

Thanks to this opportunity, I gained a better understanding of how to further develop the research paper I presented at the conference. It is titled ‘‘The Artification of Luxury in the Korean Context: A Comparative Case Study of Christian Dior Couture and Louis Vuitton’s Creations in Collaboration with Korean Artists” and is currently at 26 pages so I will not be sharing it here, but I wanted to highlight some of the points included in my presentation.

The author presenting the research at the 2024 Global Fashion Marketing Conference

1. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Comparison of Louis Vuitton & Dior’s collaborations with modern Korean artists and the qualitative results achieved by the projects
Focus on Christian Dior’s Dior Lady Art series and Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines due to:
- similarity in project structure – the final presentation in form of an exhibition
- the objects produced – bags elevated to the status of artworks but still maintaining functionality

Exploration of how partnering with Korean artists enables brands to localize and engage more personally with Korean consumers while building deeper relationships with international consumers by leveraging the continuously growing global popularity of Korean culture
Examination of how the collaborations contribute to the brands’ goal to present themselves as more authentic – in luxury terms, delivering exceptional experience characterized by high quality, craftsmanship, preciousness, and timelessness
- This is achieved by providing artists with a platform to reinterpret iconic bags into artwork
Analysis of how through these limited-edition items, the brands are also able to reinforce the idea of luxury as financial investment and a way to build family heritage

Park Seo Bo’s Artycapucine for Louis Vuitton | Source: Louis Vuitton

2. INTRODUCTION

Based on 2023 data, South Korea is the 5th largest luxury market globally while the art market also saw a notable upsurge and in 2022 secured the 7th position in the world, alongside Japan and Spain, worth USD 782m, a 32.2% YoY growth
In 2022, Morgan Stanley ranked South Koreans as the top luxury spenders with USD 325 per capita – this marks a 24% year-on-year growth amounting to USD 16.8bn, putting Koreans far ahead of Chinese (USD 55) and American (USD 280) consumers
In general, the Korean luxury goods market has been gaining significance over the past decade and is expected to grow annually by 4.42% at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2024 to 2028

The Gucci Cruise 2024 Fashion Show took place at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul | Source: Gucci

3. LUXURY & ART IN KOREA

Some examples of the close relationship between art & luxury in Korea

4. LOUIS VUITTON & DIOR IN KOREA – COMPANY OVERVIEW

Both Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior have established dominant presence in Korea after entering the country’s market decades ago.

5. LUXURY DESIGN COLLABORATIONS

Luxury companies have a long history of collaborating with artists for special collections. However, in recent years the trend has intensified as the exponential growth experienced by the luxury industry over the past two decades has led to a dilemma:
HOW CAN LUXURY BRANDS UPHOLD THE IMAGE OF RARITY WHILE CONSTANTLY INCREASING THEIR PRODUCTION VOLUMES TO MATCH THE SOARING DEMAND?
One of the answers is artification – defined by J.N. Kapferer as “a process of transformation of nonart into art, to circumvent the volume problem. Requiring time and substantial investment, artification cannot be undertaken by brands alone but instead requires active collaborations with art authorities and renowned artists.

Salvador Dalí and Elsa Schiaparelli famously collaborated for fashion designs | Source: Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí

6. LOUIS VUITTON’S ARTYCAPUCINES & PARK SEO BO

Louis Vuitton’s *Artycapucines* Series | Source: Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton is well known for its ties to the art world through the Louis Vuitton Foundation, an art museum and cultural center opened in 2014 and sponsored by the LVMH group and its subsidiaries

Both the headquarter of the Foundation and the Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul were designed by the renowned architect Frank Gehry
Louis Vuitton’s annual Artycapucines project was launched in 2019 with the purpose of inviting renowned artists to reinterpret the brand’s iconic Capucines bag first introduced in 2013
As of January 2024, a total of 24 international artists were selected by the brand to participate in the project. Park Seo Bo, who joined the 2022 edition, was the first and only Korean artist to be invited so far

The brand’s selection of Park is likely due to his unique status in the global art scene as a master of Dansekhwa, monochrome abstraction, and as one of Korea’s best-selling artists of all time

Louis Vuitton organized an exhibition to celebrate the partnership but did not amplify it commercially
Artycapucines was the third collaboration between Park Seo Bo and Louis Vuitton
In 2021, the artist made a guest appearance in the Seoul edition of the Louis Vuitton City Guide Collection to introduce worthwhile spots in the city
In May 2022, his two Ecriture series paintings were exhibited at the brand’s first ever pop-up restaurant in Korea
The bag created by Park Seo Bo draws reference from one of his more recent red Ecriture works inspired by nature – the color of autumnal maple leaves

7. LADY DIOR CELEBRATION & 24 KOREAN ARTISTS

*Lady Dior Celebration* poster featuring bag by Minjung Kim | Source: Dior

While perhaps less accentuated than in the case of Louis Vuitton, art is also a part of Dior’s DNA as a brand. Before entering the fashion industry, the founder Christian Dior was originally a gallerist.

To incorporate Christian Dior’s deep connection with art into his brand, the company, when renovating its 30 Avenue Montaigne flagship store in Paris, created Galerie Dior
Although Dior in Seoul does not have a designated gallery space similar to Galerie Dior, both the Seongsu Concept Store and the Café Seoul House of DIOR have been repurposed for exhibitions

From 2 to 17 September 2023, Dior hosted the Lady Dior Celebration, which coincided with Korea International Art Fair (Kiaf) 2023 and Frieze Seoul Art Fair 2023 in September

The Dior exhibition was a summary and a celebration of the Korean artists involved in the Lady Dior as Seen by & Dior Lady Art projects so far
A total of 42 works of 24 contemporary Korean artists were exhibited and Korean artists took part in six of the eight editions of Dior Lady Art so far, a clear testimony of the close relationship between Dior and the Korean art scene
Dior amplified the reach of the event by inviting Korean brand ambassadors for the opening

7.1. DIOR LADY ART & KOREAN ARTISTS

Dior Lady Art #2 bag by Lee Bul | Source: Dior

Most of these artists have established a strong link to the French art scene e.g., Lee Bul had her works presented by Fondation Cartier in a solo exhibition which Nov 2007 to Jan 2008, Ha Chong Hyun – one of the founding members of Dansekhwa – had his fifth solo exhibition with Almine Rech Gallery open in February 2024 in Gstaad

Dior Lady Art #8 bags by Ha Chong Hyun | Source: Dior

Artist Minjung Kim with his designs for *Dior Lady Art* #7 | Source: Dior

Dior Lady Art #6 bag by Gigisue | Source: Dior

7.2. LADY DIOR AS SEEN BY… & KOREAN ARTISTS

As in the case of Dior Lady Art, Korean artists have consistently been involved in the Lady Dior as Seen by collaboration series for many years

Gimhongsok contributed to the second edition and three other artists took part in both the 2015 and 2016 editions
In 2022, Kwangho Lee created Knotted Bag and for the 2023 edition, as many as 9 artists were invited to participate in Lady Dior as Seen by, signifying the importance of both the Korean market and the exhibition as an art event

8. PROPOSED HYPOTHESIS

Inside the *Lady Dior Celebration* exhibition in Seoul | Source: Dior

Collaborating with artists is not a new strategy among luxury brands. Having artists design special collections helps accomplish several goals. It allows customers to signal their sophistication and knowledge of the arts

Collaborations such as Dior Lady Art or Artycapucines are also a way to provide consumers access to celebrated artists’ creation for a fraction of the price of their original artwork while also benefiting the artists through exposure to a broader customer base
This section focuses specifically on three additional benefits of artification, namely:
- deepening the relationship with local market and consumers
- strengthening brand legitimacy and authenticity
- creating limited edition products aimed at attracting collectors and investors

8.1. DEEPENING THE RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL MARKET & CONSUMERS

Luxury brands want to be recognized as active agents of the local culture by acting as the ambassadors of a country’s art and actively promoting it through collaborations on a global scale

Korea is currently well-positioned to help achieve such aspirations with Hallyu – the Korean Wave – a term describing the phenomenon of the global craze for Korean culture
A strategy devised for the Korean market e.g., celebrating local artists, is highly likely to catch the attention of a wider Koreaphile audience
The brands that take note of this effect and leverage it in their marketing campaigns often see a return on their investment

8.2. STRENGTHENING BRAND LEGITIMACY & AUTHENTICITY

As argued by J.N. Kapferer, art and the signature of artists transform limited editions of luxury items into authentic artworks to create demand, and help counteract the criticism faced for creating artificial rarity

Art is also a means for luxury companies to receive a much-needed moral and aesthetic endorsement, noncommercial connotations, and legitimization of high prices
Creating immersive customer experiences helps to highlight the brand’s authenticity and evoke multi-dimensional feelings. Individual artists bring stronger, emotionally charged stories and inject a more human and historical significance into the brand
These experiences can then be shared by consumers through even more authentic user-generated content, amplifying the brand’s intention

8.3. CREATING LIMITED EDITION PRODUCTS AIMED AT ATTRACTING COLLECTORS & INVESTORS

Limited Edition collections such as Louis Vuitton’s Artycapucines and Dior Lady Art are, as indicated, limited in quantity, making the products the perfect collector’s item. Dior creates approx. 40-50 pieces per model for the Dior Lady Art bags world-wide and Louis Vuitton approx. 200 for Artycapucines

Consumers and the art market alike recognize the collaboration as an opportunity for investment. In 2023, Sotheby’s Auction House collaborated with Louis Vuitton to sell selected models from the Artycapucines collection
Included in the special auction was Park Seo Bo’s bag which was estimated at EUR 16,000 – 24,000 (USD 17,381 – 26,072) and sold for EUR 22,860 (USD 24,833) – with the original retail price at USD 10,500

9. CONCLUSION

Christian Dior Couture built a more direct line between the commercial and artistic activities – it leveraged the social reach of its many brand ambassadors by inviting them to the Lady Dior Celebration exhibition opening, turning it into a high-profile event

While the exhibition coincided with Kiaf and Frieze Seoul 2023 art fairs, it was also featured in numerous media outlets, both fashion and art magazines, and online news platforms
This could have questioned the authenticity of the initiative, but Dior managed to achieve a somewhat symbiotic effect by making it multidimensional. Through this the brand unintentionally fostered an organic, touching exchange between Ha Chong-Hyun, one of the artists participating in Dior Lady Art #8, and brand ambassador Jisoo of BLACKPINK

To wrap up, a few words about the Global Fashion Management Conference – as introduced by the Organizing Committee Co-Chair Eunju Ko, Ph.D, the “GFMC conference had been held in European fashion hubs such as London (2014), Florence (2015), Vienna (2017), Paris (2019), and Seoul in online format (2021). GFMC is well positioned as one of the most prestigious conferences in fashion marketing and management.” This year’s theme was Marketing & Management in the Age of the Digital Fashion Transformation.

Last but not least, I was able to meet the most amazing researchers, both peers and my academic idols: Professor Ben Voyer, Cartier Chaired Professor of Behavioural Science and Professor Federica Carlotto, Programme Director MA Luxury Business at Sotheby's Institute of Art. I think this will be the beginning of a wonderful journey and I cannot wait to share more.

‘The Artification of Luxury in the Korean Context’ – 2024 Global Fashion Management Conference at Milan

‘Period-Abstraction part 2’ exhibition – Interview by Gallery the Arte Cheongdam

Hechyeomoyeo 6 – a Group Exhibition of 250 Artists in Seoul