Following the success of Jennie and Jisoo of Blackpink, IU is the latest K-pop artist
to unlock the "Big Six Magazines" of the South Korean entertainment industry.
Appearing on the cover of a magazine has long been a criterion for measuring media coverage,
commercial potential, status, and influence of artists in the entertainment industry generally
speaking, and in the fashion industry particularly speaking.
For this reason, being on the covers of renowned fashion magazines has long been considered
a place to show the "underlying power" of celebrities.
For an artist, appearing on a cover page in the top six high-end fashion magazines is
something to be proud of, proving that the artist's name has established a distinct position
and since such an achievement is extremely hard to reach, so far, only five Korean celebrities,
four out of whom are K-pop artists, have successfully appeared on the top six magazine covers.
So, how impressive is the history of "The Big Six" magazines that artists desire to
appear on?
Which artists have successfully unlocked the "Big Six" treasures?
Which K-pop idols will be the next salient factors to complete "The Big Six" journey?
Let’s dive into this video to find out the answers!
LIST OF 6 FAMOUS FASHION MAGAZINES
With strict criteria for cover models, such as:
The stars must have a top position and commercial value in the entertainment industry.
They must have an image suitable for the upcoming issue's concept.
Artists with film/album projects need to be promoted or represented by their endorsed
brand to push the cover for promotion.
Finally, the group of stars have a large backing in the fashion industry, good relationships
with editors, and can appear continuously in high-end fashion magazines.
Below is the history of the famous "The Big Six" magazines in Korea:
Vogue Magazine:
At the top of this list is Vogue, the world's most famous magazine specializing in writing
about fashion and lifestyle.
Founded in 1892 in the United States, Vogue is now published monthly in 18 countries.
The reputation of Vogue is increasingly prestigious in the fashion world thanks to its accurate
trend predictions and sharp analysis.
In 2006, Vogue was voted by The New York Times as the "most influential fashion magazine
in the world".
According to many people in the industry, Vogue is the most selective magazine in choosing
cover models.
Being on the cover of Vogue is a testament to an artist's level of class and sophistication.
Professionally, it is the recognition of top experts.
From here, artists will receive more attention from the professional community, commercial
brands and the global public.
It can be said that being on the cover of Vogue is an extremely proud achievement for
many, if not all, celebrities.
Elle Magazine:
Elle is a magazine for women worldwide founded in France in 1945.
The content of the magazine is a combination of fashion and beauty, along with culture,
society, and lifestyle.
Elle magazine is now known as the best-selling and largest fashion magazine in the world,
with 46 editions published in over 60 countries.
W Magazine:
W is the abbreviation for America's leading fashion magazine, founded in 1972.
W is a large-format magazine specializing in stories about style through the lens of
culture, fashion, art, celebrities, and movies.
Among them, W Korea is known as the first and only version of W in Korea.
The news in W Korea is updated at a dizzying speed, with over 100 posts published every
month.
Harper's Bazaar Magazine:
Harper's Bazaar has always been one of the best fashion magazines in the United States
since its first publication in 1867.
Harper's Bazaar covers the latest fashion trends, celebrity news, and entertainment.
Currently, Bazaar has more than 35 editions published in 14 languages in over 100 countries.
Marie Claire Magazine:
Marie Claire was first published in 1937 as the leading magazine for French women.
In 1941, the magazine continued to expand its market to European countries such as the
United Kingdom, then to the United States and Italy.
In 1976, Marie Claire was merged into the L'Oreal Group.
From then on, the magazine has extensively explored content related to women's beauty,
including fashion, makeup, and skincare, giving the cover a flagrantly charming beauty.
Until now, Marie Claire has been published in over 36 countries on 5 continents and in
the United States alone, the magazine has over one million copies.
Cosmopolitan Magazine:
Cosmopolitan is also an international magazine for women, first published in 1886 in the
United States.
Initially a family magazine, it later became a literary magazine and finally a women's
magazine in the late 1960s.
Positioned as the world's largest media brand for women, Cosmopolitan always updates the
latest hot news in the world in the fastest way with a variety of topics for readers.
Currently, Cosmopolitan has 63 international editions, published in 32 languages and distributed
in over 100 countries.
5 ARTISTS COMPLETED THE "HEXAGONAL CHALLENGE" As of now, 5 outstanding female Kbiz stars
have successfully "unlocked" all the covers of the Korean Hexagonal magazine, including
two "rookies" who just completed the task by appearing in the September 2022 and the
New Year's 2023 issues, officially joining the three first stars who had already completed
the challenge.
Jennie Kim
The first and "leading" person to complete the Hexagonal challenge is none other than
Jennie Kim, a member of the girl group BLACKPINK.
With an impressive fashion sense and a chic and arrogant appearance, Jennie is always
a "golden choice" in the fashion industry as well as major brands.
In April 2020, she officially completed the Hexagonal challenge, becoming the "leader"
with continuous achievement over many years:
Harper's Bazaar: January 2018 issue (Chanel Makeup)
April 2021 issue (Chanel)
Cosmopolitan: August 2018 issue
March 2019 issue (Hera)
W: November 2018 issue (Chanel Makeup)
February 2020 issue (Hera)
November 2020 issue (Chanel Coco Crush)
November 2021 issue (Chanel)
Elle: October 2019 issue (Chanel Coco Crush)
August 2021 issue (Chanel)
Vogue: March 2020 issue (Chanel)
May 2020 issue (Chanel)
June 2021 issue (Mise en Scène)
Marie Claire: April 2020 issue (Gentle Monster)
Looking at this series of achievements, it can be said that 2020 was a breakthrough year
for Jennie in the fashion industry as she continuously appeared on the covers of Hexagonal
magazines.
This also proves that Jennie is highly favored in the fashion industry, and her unlocking
journey of “The Big Six” treasure was way faster than other female stars.
Bae Suzy
Following the achievement of Jennie, the second name to officially unlock the “The Big Six”
is Bae Suzy - the "nation's first love" of South Korea.
With her sweet and beautiful visual, and being extremely photogenic, Suzy became the "darling"
of fashion magazines and luxury brands very early on.
Starting in 2013, Suzy had already embarked on the journey to unlock the six major magazines,
being praised by fashion enthusiasts for her diverse style transformations, and she successfully
completed the sixth cover in June 2020, just a few days after Jennie's achievement at that
time.
Cosmopolitan: September 2013 issue
October 2017 issue (Guess)
April 2018 issue (Lancôme)
September 2020 issue (Lancôme)
Elle: October 2015 issue (Valentino)
September 2017 issue (Fendi)
August 2020 issue (Dior)
Harper's Bazaar: July 2016 issue (Louis Vuitton)
Marie Claire: October 2018 issue (Lancôme)
March 2020 issue (Lancôme)
W: June 2019 issue (Dior)
Vogue: June 2020 issue (Dior)
Kim Jisoo
The third person to take over the covers of “The Big Six” is Kim Jisoo.
Unlike Jennie or Suzy who can transform their fashion styles from elegant and antique to
modern, Jisoo has a very "poetic" signature visual, carrying a strong classic noble aura.
Therefore, the fashion brands that collaborated with her on the magazine covers were all luxurious
and upscale, typically Dior, Burberry, and Cartier.
In February 2021, after a 3-year journey of "conquering" the top magazine covers in the
South Korean fashion industry, Jisoo officially became the third person to successfully unlock“The
Big Six” magazine covers.
Cosmopolitan: August 2018 issue
Harper's Bazaar: June 2019 issue (Cartier)
January 2020 issue (Dior Beauty)
Elle: December 2019 issue (Burberry)
January 2021 issue (Cartier)
Vogue: March 2020 issue (Dior)
June 2021 issue (Mise en Scène)
Marie Claire: September 2020 issue (Dior Beauty)
W February 2021 issue (Dior)
With the early success in unlocking the six major magazine covers within a short span
of time, Kim Jisoo has left the fashion industry in awe countless times for having the exclusive
support of Dior.
Until now, the brand has spent billions of dollars to get her onto the covers of prestigious
fashion magazines.
Recently, Jisoo's appearance on the cover of Marie Claire’s January 2023 issue has
raised her total number of year-opening covers to 4, setting an unprecedented record that
few idols can achieve.
This is also evidence proving that the efforts and achievements of K-pop idols in the fashion
industry are increasingly recognized and appreciated.
Kim Yuna
In September 2022, the famous South Korean figure skater Kim Yuna successfully unlocked
the “The Big Six” treasures after appearing on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
Although she is not an actor or a singer, Kim Yuna is affectionately referred to by
South Korean people as the "national treasure of the Great Korea".
With her pure beauty and extremely elegant demeanor, Kim Yuna has been chosen by many
fashion houses and quickly appeared on major magazine covers, completing the journey to
unlock “The Big Six” treasures of South Korean fashion magazines.
IU
The last "rookie" to complete the journey of unlocking the six crow “The Big Six”
magazines is the "national sister “singer, IU.
Appearing on the cover of Harper's Bazaar on February 15, 2023, IU officially became
the fifth person to successfully unlock “The Big Six” treasures.
As the global ambassador for fashion powerhouse Gucci, IU enjoys all the valuable resources
from the house, and Gucci has made great efforts to help her appear on prestigious magazine
covers, explaining why her journey to conquer the “The Big Six” covers was completed
quickly and smoothly.
Although IU hasn’t shown much potential fashion sense explicitly, she is still highly
regarded by the top fashion experts as having the ability to transform diversely with all
styles, as well as an aura just as celestial as other big female stars on the list.
The evidence shows that IU is still very popular when she has been continuously featured in
various influential magazines within a short span of time, especially on the covers of
“The Big Six”.
THE NEXT NAMES ABOUT TO COMPLETE THE HEXA COVER RACE
Following the success of the previous 5 prominent names I have just mentioned, the "race" towards
the “The Big Six” covers is currently adding 4 more Kbiz artists who have completed
5/6 covers, including 1 Kpop idol, 2 actresses, and 1 model.
These will be the names that fashion fans must eagerly await.
The Kpop idol we will talk about is Rosé - the main vocalist of BLACKPINK:
5 completed covers: Vogue, Elle, W, Harper’s Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan.
In May 2022, Rosé excellently became the representative face chosen by Harper’s Bazaar
to grace the cover, helping her complete 5/6 of the journey to unlock “The Big Six”
treasure.
With a very chic demeanor, Rosé's fashion sense has also won the hearts of many fashion
enthusiasts as she can transform herself with diverse concepts ranging from dreamy, sweet,
to elegant, unique fashion, etc.
Rosé is also evaluated to be no less than her two older sisters Jisoo and Jennie.
Therefore, in the coming time, BLINKs in particular and netizens in general are eagerly awaiting
to see if Rosé will be the next face to follow in the successful footsteps of her two older
sisters in "unlocking" “The Big Six” covers of Korean magazines.
Currently, Rosé of BLACKPINK only lacks the cover of Marie Claire magazine.
Compared to the difficult "fashion bible" Vogue that she has conquered, many believed
the magazine would soon welcome Rosé's dreamy appearance with open arms.
In addition, 2 actresses Shin Min Ah, Kim Tae Ri, and model Jung Ho Yeon have also unlocked
5/6 magazine covers to date.
Shin Min Ah: Elle, W, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan.
Kim Tae Ri: Vogue, Elle, W, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire.
Jung Ho Yeon: Vogue, Elle, W, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire.
CONCLUSION
Amidst the constant "elimination" of the rigorous Korean entertainment industry, besides being
contempt for the job of just an idol or an actor, talented names still have to continuously
"race" to seize opportunities to expand their coverage everywhere, thereby constantly building
their personal brand through prestigious magazine covers in South Korea and the world.
After the success of these five prominent names on “The Big Six” covers, who do
you expect to be the next to complete it soon?
Do you think the last four names that I mentioned at the end of the video would soon unlock
this treasure?
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