Jin’s latest brand ambassadorship has caused some deep cuts within his own fanbase.
On July 8, Jin was announced to have been appointed as the first global brand ambassador of the luxury French jewelry maison, Fred.
[기사] Jeweler Fred Taps #BTS’s #Jin as First Global Brand Ambassadorhttps://t.co/flCkwTG9fG
— BIGHIT MUSIC (@BIGHIT_MUSIC) July 8, 2024
The announcement was accompanied by some brand new photos of the idol, adorned in Fred jewelry while rocking drastically different styles of outfits. Within a few hours of the announcement, multiple of the jewelry items worn by Jin in his pictures sold out completely.
While such prestigious ambassadorship is usually a reason for celebration among fans, a significant portion of the BTS fanbase was left disappointed and heartbroken over this turn of events.
Firstly, Fred is owned by LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods business, which is owned by the French magnate Bernard Arnault. Due to Arnault’s direct investment in the Israeli cybersecurity firm Wiz, all brands under LVMH are currently the target of a pro-Palestinian boycott. According to senior analysts, Israel is known for using its cybersecurity technology on Palestinian civilians to strengthen its position as an “occupying power acting with increasing impunity in the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the coastal strip of Gaza” (Mairav Zonszein, Chatham House).
“Such technology fulfils two purposes for Israel, argues Loewenstein, who writes as a journalist and an Australian Jew who was raised to support Israel. It has enabled Israel to deepen its control over millions of Palestinians and to do so at a profit.
Palestinians now constitute a slight majority over Jews across Israel and occupied Palestinian territory, and every one of them is ‘defined as a threat’, writes the author. ‘Today, you’re able to identify and stop surveillance of the next Nelson Mandela before he even knows he’s Nelson Mandela,’ says an Israeli human rights lawyer quoted in the book.
Loewenstein wants to expose Israel as a hostile regime on a par with Russia and China. He conveys a palpable frustration with the fact that Israel has managed to excel at developing tools to maintain ethnonationalist rule and export them to dozens of countries, and at both a financial and diplomatic gain.”
— Mairav Zonszein, Chatham House
Following this line of reasoning, LVMH has turned into an organic boycott target by the supporters of the BDS movement, much like Starbucks, though the official BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement) list does not name it as a consumer boycott target.
anyway, do NOT support FRED jewelry. do not buy from FRED jewelry. FRED is owned by LVMH – a zionist company that is on the boycott list.
want more information? here’s a video and article explaining why we’re boycotting LVMH (with proof!)https://t.co/FUew23MKiO https://t.co/nfm7thZHMH pic.twitter.com/7R2mVuRCK9
— sky⁷ 🍓🎀🍉 (@kittysmimi) July 8, 2024
the thing is “hybe divest from zionism” is not just about scooter & his zionist buddies. it’s zionism as a whole & having a member be the BA for a company that’s under LVMH is something to be upset about. it’s on the BDS list & palestinians have been asking everyone to boycott… https://t.co/he8RHTgfpF
— ☾vmin’s peach ೀ ⁷ | 🍉 (@fairydustvmin) July 11, 2024
If Fred jewelry is owned by LVMH….who is owned by bernard arnault….who invests in Israeli companies….why would you not want to boycott? Must it be in the BDS list for you to give a fuck about Palestinians and how they feel abt Jin being an ambassador for a brand like that? https://t.co/bdFJR6uMLv
— mari (@pinkgojo) July 9, 2024
In this context, Jin’s renewed association with LVMH has disheartened many Palestinian ARMYs and allies, who have been trying to communicate their stance to the BTS members through Weverse for months despite being actively censored by the platform and their co-fans.
weverse armys reported my fan letter… it was namjoon’s lyrics. great job, you’re all a bunch of monkeys who take streaming as a job but pay no attention to what you stream. pic.twitter.com/sySj1gYxfb
— rat 🍉 (@strawterryboba) June 24, 2024
hybe hiding the hot topic section cuz it was full of letters asking bts to speak up. and then yall want us to think the company isn’t z¡ion¡st 😭 pic.twitter.com/m4th81G2MB
— star (@agustdsatoru) July 9, 2024
Can’t even post the Palestine flag without it being reported on weverse.. pic.twitter.com/cLftvod3Gd
— celine⁷ 🍉 (@beidoujjk) July 11, 2024
HYBE owned weverse is attempting to silence fans of their artists from educating them about Palestine! they’ve removed all the posts from the hot trend category, hiding it from both artists and users. #하이브는시오니스트를퇴출하라 #HYBEDivestFromZionism pic.twitter.com/1vsKE0OIYE
— Haaaaaari 🍉 (@pporapippamm) July 8, 2024
There is also a second layer of disappointment in the fandom space regarding the items worn by Jin selling out. Palestinian and pro-Palestinian ARMYs were left bewildered that their peers contributed so hugely to a brand that has such close ties with Israel when, at the same time, the funding goals to evacuate certain ARMYs from Gaza hadn’t been met for months.
Doaa’s GFM has been open since 2 April. It took 3 months of so much effort to get to €54 000.
But Armys will sell out jewellery worth $27000 in just a few HOURS and you mfs are PROUD rn?
Genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, you can go fuck yourselves & burn in hell. Idgaf. https://t.co/UszzNMrz83
— T ~ from the river to the sea (@hxrdlyrkived) July 8, 2024
all the money could’ve went to gofundme’s, organizations for aid and medical supplies. but yall would rather sell out a zionist company. armys have no sense of morality. actual slaves to capitalism. https://t.co/LmHoNa7zQ6
— Kay☆ (@YEWbuttmuncher) July 8, 2024
with $27K you can evacuate 10 children from gaza. one bracelet. https://t.co/grnyfVwoAk
— 𓂆 deeja⁷🫒 (@deedeehimawari) July 8, 2024
Though some argued that regular ARMYs were not the consumers who sold out such expensive items in a matter of hours, many countered, saying that the association of a BTS member with such a brand has an undeniable commercial value and significantly affects sales.
Let me just make this point real quick.
Even if it’s not twitter armys buying the Fred jewelry, the point is still proven that if BTS says something….people who are fans or know them will buy it or donate.
That was proven with the BLM donation 🤷🏽♀️
— Simone⁷ ʰᵒᵖᵉ ᵒᵗˢ IS WAITING FOR BTS 💜| MUSE🌙 (@Kenya_Simone17) July 8, 2024
Meanwhile, association with Zionism or Israel has growingly become a point of contention in the K-Pop fandom space at large. In the most recent instance, a K-Pop contest being held in Israel by KBS has been met with fierce backlash from the fan community.
On the other hand, ARMYs are urging Jin, who recently left for France for his Olympic torchbearer duties, to use this opportunity to honor BDS’s call for a ceasefire.
