Move over, Goop! 4 Asian celebrities who own lifestyle brands: from Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Anomaly Haircare and streetwear with Jay Chou’s Phantaci and G-Dragon’s Peaceminusone, to Naomi Osaka’s Kinlò
G-Dragon, Naomi Osaka and Priyanka Chopra Jonas all run successful lifestyle empires. Photos: @naomiosaka, @priyankachopra, @gdragon_offical/Instagram
Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Miranda Kerr and Jessica Alba have all gracefully stepped into the realm of entrepreneurship, launching highly successful lifestyle brands. These ventures have not only generated substantial returns for their superstar founders but have also laid the foundation for enduring business empires.
Asia has witnessed its own wave of celebrity-driven business ventures too. These stars are not content with merely being the face of a brand or occasional collaborators, choosing to venture into the realm of big business. And their projects have the potential to become the next big celebrity brands with a global reach.
Here are four Asian celebrity entrepreneurs who are making waves in the business world right now.
1. G-Dragon
G-Dragon launched a fashion brand known as Peaceminusone. Photo: @peaceminusonedotcom/Instagram
Singer and rapper Kwon Ji-yong – better known as G-Dragon – may be famous for being the “King of K-pop” but he’s also an undisputed fashion icon. (Remember when he was the first K-pop artist to be invited to Paris Fashion Week, and photographed by Karl Lagerfeld for three separate Vogue covers in 2016?)
So it made sense when the BigBang member launched his own streetwear and lifestyle brand, Peaceminusone. Combining fashion, art and musical influences, the high-end label makes everything from graphic tees, hoodies and pants, to stylish accessories like hats, bags, jewellery and footwear. The avant-garde pieces reflect his haute couture affinities.
Peaceminusone collaborated with Nike to create the “G-Dragon Sneaker”. Photo: Peaceminusone
G-Dragon’s brand has since become popular with celebrities and fashionistas, both in Korea and worldwide, sported by A-listers like Bella Hadid, reggaeton artist J Balvin, and pro footballers Mbappé and Neymar.
2. Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Photo: @priyankachopra/Instagram
There’s no denying that Priyanka Chopra Jonas has one of the most enviable manes in the industry. Capitalising on her famously lustrous locks, the Quantico actress launched Anomaly, her own line of hair care products in 2022, emphasising natural active ingredients with Indian heritage like coconut oil and bamboo in eco-friendly packaging made from recycled waste.
Priyanka Chopra founded Anomaly in 2022. Photo: @priyankachopra/ Instagram
And although the company is a newcomer to the already crowded celebrity beauty brand market, Chopra’s line performed surprisingly well, earning US$530 million last year – making Anomaly the world’s second-most successful celebrity beauty brand, after Rihanna’s Fenty, per Hindustan Times.
Anomaly beat out established brands like Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, making it one to watch as the brand continues to grow.
3. Jay Chou
Jay Chou is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. Photo: Tudor
From the mind of Taiwanese superstar and The Green Hornet actor Jay Chou, Phantaci is another luxury streetwear line, blending edgy designs and vibrant colours. Known for its limited-edition trainers, eye-catching branded apparel and unique creative collaborations with other labels, the Taipei-based brand launched in 2006, and has since opened several boutiques.
Jay Chou’s Phantaci collaborated with Puma Sportstyle in April. Photo: @pumasportstyle/Instagram
In 2022, the brand also expanded into the world of digital art. Chou’s label released its first collection of NFTs, PhantaBear – a signature line of collectible teddy bears dressed in miniature versions of fashionable streetwear outfits by Phantaci. The NFTs cost more than US$1,000 a pop and sold out in less than 40 minutes, according to GlobeNewswire. This put the total value of the NFTs at a staggering US$53 million at the time, per the same source.
4. Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is dabbling in the world of skincare too. Photo: @naomiosaka/Instagram
When Japanese tennis star and four-time grand slam champ Naomi Osaka released a line of sun care products for melanin-rich skin in 2021, it was a huge success. Beauty buffs loved the clean formulations with functional ingredients, and its mission to educate others – specifically people of colour – about proper sun protection.
Naomi Osaka’s skincare brand Kinlò is formulated specifically for skin types with higher melanin content. Photo: @naomiosaka/Instagram
Named Kinlò – a celebration of Osaka’s bicultural Japanese and Haitian heritage – the brand carries products like sunscreen, tinted moisturiser in a range of inclusive shades, body lotion, and after-sun gel moisturiser. The innovative product line has proven so successful that the American retail giant Walmart picked up the brand, selling it online and in 2,500 stores nationwide, per Harper’s Bazaar.
While Hollywood’s Gwyneth Paltrow, Miranda Kerr and Jessica Alba have all become successful entrepreneurs, K-pop stars like BigBang’s G-Dragon are also starting their own brands like Peaceminusone
Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Anomaly Haircare competes with Rihanna’s Fenty, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics, while Naomi Osaka’s Kinlò sun care was picked up by Walmart
