Lacoste is ready to further tap into its Chinese market potential with the appointment of Chinese actor Wang Yibo as a global ambassador.
Wang, who started his career as a member of the K-pop boy band Uniq, has gone on to become one of China‘s most marketable male stars with more than 40 million followers on Weibo.
“Besides his acute taste for fashion, he is always daring to step out of his comfort zone, which coincides with the brand’s spirit of celebrating boldness,” Lacoste said of the appointment.
After the announcement, the hashtag “Wang Yibo named Lacoste global ambassador” received more than 600 million views on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform.
Wang made his first appearance as the face of the brand during Lacoste’s fall 2024 runway show in Paris, where Pelagia Kolotouros took her bow for the first time as the creative director of the brand.
As a testament to Wang’s star power, a pair of black-and-white chunky sneakers that Wang wore to the show quickly sold out on Lacoste’s Tmall store.
The Chinese actor will next appear in a Lacoste advertising campaign set to be unveiled in May.
In his role as brand ambassador, Wang joins tennis players Novak Djokovic, Venus Williams, Daniil Medvedev, Grigor Dimitrov and Arthur Fils, alongside K-pop star Somi Jeon, actor KJ Apa, fencer Ysaora Thibus, polo player Ashleigh Johnson, rifle shooting champion Ruth Mwandumba and gymnast Marcel Nguyen.
Wang also serves as a brand ambassador for Chanel, Shu Uemura, Chinese sportswear giant Anta and Audi brand ambassador, among others.
Lacoste previously worked with Huang Zitao, a Chinese singer and former Exo band member, as its Chinese ambassador.
