The latest muse to step into the spotlight as the face of Louis Vuitton is Korean actress Doona Bae.
Bae is the model for the French fashion house’s new global campaign ‘Series 4’, featuring the 2016 spring/summer collection, shot by photographer Juergen Teller in Miami, Florida. ‘Series’ is a global advertisement campaign that launched in 2014 after creative director Nicolas Ghesquière joined the company.
A well-known personality in Korea’s film and television industry since early 2000s, Bae has worked with influential directors such as Chan-wook Park, Joon-ho Bong and the Wachowskis.
Her film credits include Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002), The Host (2006), Cloud Atlas (2012) and Jupiter Ascending (2015). She currently stars in Sense8, a Netflix series that’s now in its second season and is also her third collaboration with the Wachowskis.
Bae is no stranger to the world of fashion, having been discovered by a model scout while attending college in Seoul in 1998 before moving into acting. She is also an accomplished photographer and has published books dedicated to her landscape shots and self-portraits.
Ghesquière says Bae had always mesmerised him, since her performance in The Host and has been public with his admiration for the actress.
In March last year, he shared via his Instagram account still cuts of her from movies, with messages like “so inspiring Doona Bae” and “lovedoonabae”.
Bae has reciprocated the admiration and takes her status as a Louis Vuitton ambassador seriously, sporting Ghesquière’s designs almost exclusively as of late.
She is also active with Instagramming the latest Louis Vuitton bags and coordinating ensembles with Marie-Amélie Sauvé, senior fashion editor at W and a long-time friend and collaborator of Ghesquière.
A Vogue article notes that the ambassadors of Louis Vuitton have always been consistently accomplished, multidimensional and beautiful, but Bae’s genuine appreciation for Ghesquière’s talent sets her apart from the typical celebrity spokeswomen.
