In August this year, YG Entertainment set the K-Pop fandom is abuzz with excitement when they posted up teasers for their first ever global clothing line, “NONA9ON”. Created by both the powerhouse and the Samsung Cheil Industry, the collaboration marked YG Entertainment’s expansion into other business areas, with aims to become the leading entertainment company in the world.
As shown in the previous teasers, the clothing line would officially launch on 9th September although at that time, it was still unclear as to how the collection or the concept would look like. What we gathered though was that NONA9ON (pronounced as nonagon) would be based on the street culture represented by hip hop.
The teaser above sparked an immense level of interest amongst hardcore YG Entertainment fans as it puts BIGBANG member Taeyang as well as 2NE1 leader CL in the spotlight(s) – literally. Clearly targeted at young consumers, the clothing items featured in the above video looks like what the idols would wear in their music videos as well as stage performances. In short, it’s familiar!
YG Entertainment then held the NONA9ON launch party in Seoul back in September:
2 days ago, the agency released another NONA9ON video, giving fans a more in-depth look at what the brand has to offer. The video also focuses on little nuggets of information from YG Entertainment stylist Ji Eun, Taeyang, and CL, allowing us to see the brand through their eyes. Ji Eun calls it “music-like clothes” while CL assures fans that the clothes are something that fans can wear everyday.
Watch the minute odd-long behind-the-scenes video here:
YG’s expansion into the fashion business was accelerated after French fashion house Louis Vuitton announced that they will invest up to USD80 million in YG Entertainment. It was reported that both companies are discussing opportunities for strategic partnership in the future. In fact, the luxury brand is in negotiations to acquire another $20 million of shares from the company to become YG’s second-largest shareholder, followed behind YG founder Yang Hyun-suk.
Also, we did a little research to find out how much the NONA9ON clothing items cost, since it must be a burning question for those who are interested. Unsurprisingly, YG Entertainment has positioned it to be quite a luxury street wear brand! A faux leather cap (with a metal frame) can set someone back KRW110,000, which is about RM350 after conversion.
A printed casual T-shirt costs KRW180,000, about RM570 after conversion. And a quilted leather biker jacket, as seen in the picture above, costs a whopping KRW2,100,000! That’s almost RM6,700 after conversion. Cray cray.
We don’t know if we would go on a NONA9ON splurge. Would you buy ‘em? Share your thoughts in the comments box below!
For more information, visit NONA9ON’s official Facebook page.