Enter the G-Dragon... Fashion's New It Boy
G-Dragon and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel’s Spring 2015 Couture Show. Photo: Getty Images
At the Chanel Couture show, familiar faces filled the front row. There was model Erin O’Connor, up-and-coming model and actress Dylan Penn – daughter of Sean Penn and Robin Wright – and, French actress Clotilde Hesme. Sitting next to them, a young man with dark hair, tinted sunglasses, and a cream Chanel jacket, his name? G-Dragon.
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The 26-year old might not be a household name in America, but in Asia, G-Dragon (his real name is Kwon Ji Yong) is huge— both as solo K-Pop artist and as a member of the boy band Big Bang. G-Dragon got his start as a 5-year old, and began rapping in third grade after a friend introduced him to Wu-Tang Clan. His last solo record “Coup D’Etat” sold over 5 million digital downloads, and featured collaborations with the likes of Missy Elliot, Sky Ferreira, and Diplo. Of course, always-ahead-of-the-pop-culture-curve Karl Lagerfeld would prove to be an ardent fan.
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But Lagerfeld isn’t the only one in fashion who is impressed with the rapper. Nicola Formichetti has used his music as a soundtrack for the showing of his Thierry Mugler collections and he’s friends with Jeremy Scott. (He was spotted in the front row of the Saint Laurent’s menswear show just last week, so perhaps he’s getting chummy with designer and music fan Hedi Slimane?) Much like Jeremy Scott’s other bff, Miley Cyrus, G-Dragon is something of a bad boy. He’s had recent brushes with the law because of alleged marijuana run-ins (“a fan” gave him ‘a cigarette,’ which he was unaware “contained pot”), as well as occasionally donning blackface. Regardless, his fans admire and adore him— his haircut changes alone can cause breathless articles and thousands of copycat styles. And his bratty antics haven’t deterred the fashion world either— LVMH recently invested $80 million dollars into YG Entertainment, G-Dragon’s music label.
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