BTS leader RM is the new face of Bottega Veneta’s spring/summer 2023 campaign, the first under creative director Matthieu Blazy’s reign. Rumours of an ambassadorship are still unconfirmed, but hopes are high since Blazy took to Instagram to “welcome [RM] to the family.” RM, neé Kim Nam Joon, responded in kind, reposting the image with the caption, “So happy to be part of the Bottega family!”
The picture, which has garnered about 4 million likes, features RM kitted out in Bottega’s finest: the blue plaid shirt and nubuck jeans set first seen on Kate Moss, paired with the roomy Andiamo bag in the house’s signature intrecciato weave. Bottega’s reputation for discreet glamour is on full display in the image—with the Korean star’s entire outfit splaying a material trick: what appears to be cotton and denim is actually full, fine-quality leather. Thoroughly anti-algorithm, the optical illusion is only visible in the flesh.
It’s just the kind of subtle luxury you’d expect RM to appreciate. The 28-year-old rapper’s off-duty style is understated yet luxe, entirely in keeping with the quiet confidence of Blazy’s Bottega. He has been philosophical about clothes before. In a livestream following the release of his second mixtape, Mono, he remarked: “The moment you put on coloured clothing after a period of wearing only monochromatic clothing, you realise you’ve undergone an important change.”
This news is the latest in a string of announcements from his band members. Since the expiration of their brand deal with Louis Vuitton, Jimin has been appointed global brand ambassador of Dior, quickly followed by Suga for Valentino and J-Hope for Louis Vuitton once more. While beady-eyed fans have been quick to trace the trajectory of this new partnership, it might come as a surprise to those lacking the forensic nous of BTS’ ARMY.
Below, see the condensed history of RM x Bottega in pictures, from 2020 to current day.
1 / 5
Bottega Veneta fall/winter 2023 show, February 2023
The Indigo singer sat front row at the brand’s fall/winter 2023 show in Milan, dressed in a black two-piece suit and wine-red heeled boots. A few days before the show he took to Instagram to show off a brand new Andiamo that had been gifted to him by the house, stoking rumours of a collaboration.
2 / 5
Incheon Airport, January 2023
RM was spotted in Bottega’s nylon trench coat, pillow sneakers and the trusty Andiamo for his flight at Incheon Airport, Seoul in late January.
3 / 5
Dia Beacon, New York, December 2022
RM cleaned up in a tan leather Bottega suit for his mini-concert at the contemporary art installation space, Dia Beacon, in New York last December. The signs were definitely there.
4 / 5
SBS Entertainment Awards, December 2020
As far back as 2020, RM attended South Korea’s biggest awards night in a baggy, double-breasted Bottega number.
5 / 5
Grammy Awards, January 2020
For their second outing at the Grammys in 2020, RM and his members cast off the staid tuxedos of their debut in 2019 and rocked up in Bottega nudes. Their subtle topcoats, courtesy of Daniel Lee, were the buzziest menswear statement of the night.
