24 January 2023: Maison Valentino has snapped up one of the coolest rappers in the world. SUGA, rapper, songwriter and producer of THE 21st century pop icons BTS becomes the new brand ambassador of Valentino. He thus joins the very elite round of DI.VAs appointed so far, (DI.fferent VA.lues) Zendaya and Sir Lewis Hamilton. Suga can already be seen in the current campaign on the Valentino website. He is wearing the Maison Valentino Essentials collection: a selection of pieces from the Valentino collections, stripped down to their design essence and organised into an expandable system.

How did the collaboration come about:

Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli describes Suga as "a multifaceted artist; he is an interpreter and uses his talent and his work to express himself with energy and authenticity. He perfectly embodies everything that DI.VA.s testimonials stand for: diversity, inclusivity, creativity, and passion."

Suga adds: "All individuals have different dreams and values. Maison Valentino and Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli have been supportive of diversity which is something that I also believe in. I am happy to be joining as DI.VAs and to collaborate on this amazing campaign with Maison Valentino Essentials."

What else do you need to know about Suga? The facts

Suga's real name is Min Moon Gi. He performs under the stage names Suga or AgustD. The boss of his music label is said to have given him the name Suga because of his fair complexion and because his smile is as sweet as sugar. It also played a role that Suga, as a basketball player, is a "shooting guard", which is abbreviated as "Suga" in Korean. In Korea, it is a tradition that every Korean pop group gives its fans their own name. In the case of BTS, the fans are called ARMY (important, it's capitalised). 

What's next for Suga

Bad news, however, is that Suga, like his fellow BTS singers, will be joining the Military in March 2023 to September 2024. However, the band has already announced plans to make a comeback in 2025. 

In the meantime, you can enjoy a film by BTS, "BTS - Yet to Come", with English subtitles, which will be released in cinemas on 1 February 2023. And you can hopefully enjoy Suga images from the new Valentino campaign until the comeback in 2025. 

Maison Valentino Essentials will be available from 11 to 30 January at Maxfield POP-UP in LA and online at

Valentino.com.

#ValentinoDiVas

#MaisonValentinoEssentials

Maison Valentino Essentials Courtesy of Valentino

Maison Valentino Essentials Courtesy of Valentino

Maison Valentino Essentials Courtesy of Valentino

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