I want one. If all the Korean celebrities have one, why I can’t I? Oh yeah, they make much more money than I do…

MCM has been very, very popular among Korean celebrities in the past few years. I think the trend may be dying down a bit, but MCM will always symbolize KOREA TOP STAR to me.

I first learned of MCM’s importance in the Korean celebrity community when I started going to Kpop concerts. While waiting in the crowds of fans, an item kept popping up in my line of sight. Yep, you guessed it; fake MCM backpacks! The fakes were EVERYWHERE. I asked my friend what was the deal with these studded backpacks and she enlightened me about the MCM phenomenon. (We then played the fun game Real or Fake. We estimated that for every 9 fakes, we would see 1 real. Very few fans can afford both concert tickets and MCMs! ).

Here’s some background on MCM. It’s a German brand founded in 1976 which “crafts luxury leather goods, apparel, and footwear for the world’s most seasoned travelers”. It’s fitting that the primary function of MCM in Korea is for airport fashion. K-pop stars fit the bill of being well traveled!

One of MCM’s smartest moves was to hire Rain to promote the brand. Rain is at God-like levels in Korea; anything he touches will instantly be golden. Just looking at these pictures makes me want to an MCM product even more. It’s the perfect marketing strategy!

It didn’t stop with Rain. MCM quickly swept the Korean celeb scene. 2011 and 2012 were particularly good years for the brand. Boutique stores are now  abundant throughout Seoul.  Name any Korean celebrity and they have probably been photographed with an MCM product! Check out this great Soompi article about the MCM trend here.

After Rain, my favorite MCM wearer is G-Dragon. As another major fashion icon, he has continued to propel MCM’s celebrity status. You know you’ve made it in Korea when MCM will custom-make items JUST FOR YOU! I’ve definitely seen pictures of GD sitting on his very own MCM couch. This guy has it all!

While the bags are great and all, my favorite MCM product has to be the MCM Segway! Yes, you read that right. Segway! Big Bang famously used these MCM decked-out Segways during their Alive Galaxy World Tour in 2012.

This is one of the reasons I love Big Bang so much. Not only do they fly around stage on Segways, but they care so much about detail that they made sure to outfit the product in some of the best “clothes” money could buy. Something tells me not many other brands have expanded into the Segway market yet…

On another note, I went to a family party a few weeks ago and I glanced over to see a real MCM bag in the kitchen! I had silent freak out session where I just stared, admiring the bag and guessing how much the oversized tote cost! (Just looked it up- $590 at Bloomingdales)

It turns out a friend of my cousin has great taste in bags (and a rather successful husband). When I told everyone how crazy popular MCM is in Asia, no one else had really even heard of the brand, let alone known that it was anything important. It was the first time I had seen an MCM outside of Asia and I hope there will be more repeat sightings. I love when my Asia-related knowledge comes into daily use!

Perhaps one day I will be able to afford my very own MCM bag, but for now I will just have to satisfy my want by scrolling through pictures of Korean celebrities holding these coveted products.

Here are some parting pictures. Which MCM bag/outfit/product do you want most?

I want them all…

Rachel