Mail Online

SQUIDS IN!

Big fashion labels throw money at stunning star of Netf lix sensation Squid Game as she gains 17 million Instagram followers in a WEEK

By Katie Hind SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR

SHE plays a debt-ridden defector in the Netflix phenomenon Squid Game, but in real life Korean beauty HoYeon Jung is set to make millions after the ultra-violent survival series became a global smash.

The 27-year-old actress and model has been deluged with lucrative offers from fashion labels and global brands keen to exploit her worldwide fame and millions of social-media followers.

Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton has made the Seoul-born star the face of its latest collection, promoting the French company’s clothes, jewellery and watches. Sports giant Adidas and Italian fashion house Fendi have also signed deals with HoYeon, now one of the world’s most sought-after models following Squid Game’s worldwide premiere last month.

Designers have also been impressed by her popularity on

‘A huge following is what it’s all about’

social media, noting that she gained a staggering 17 million followers on Instagram in one week to make her Korea’s most followed actress.

Her post showing off a Louis Vuitton bag received more than six million likes, while one of her posing in an Adidas tracksuit won approval from 8.3million followers.

HoYeon, who makes her acting debut playing Contestant 067 in the dystopian drama, is expected to grace the catwalks of London, New York, Paris and Milan in the coming year. A fashion industry source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘She is a fresh new face with a huge following on Instagram – that’s what it’s all about these days. She is a star.’

It comes as schools warn parents not to let their children watch the violent 15-certificate series after pupils were seen mimicking scenes in the playground. In a letter to parents, John Bramston Primary School in Ilford, East London, wrote that it was ‘not appropriate nor acceptable’ that children were pretending to shoot each other.

In the series, HoYeon plays a North Korean defector trying to win money to retrieve family members trapped across the border, with her dowdy appearance on the show a stark contrast to her glamorous photos on social media.

As a teenager, she was so determined to make it as a model that she worked at Seoul Fashion Week, where she caught the eye of scouts and was later cast in fashion shows without help from an agency. In 2013, she took part in Korea’s Next

Top Model and finished second. She appeared on the cover of Vogue’s Korean edition after gaining a degree from Dongduk University.

Squid Game, which is the most-streamed show on Netflix, takes its name from a common Korean playground game and follows a group of 456 debt-ridden characters. The contestants fight to stay alive in violent versions of traditional children’s games as they try to win a £27million prize.

News

en-gb

2021-10-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-10T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://mailonline.pressreader.com/article/281646783316510

dmg media (UK)