Beauty collab at the club

In the world of fashion, music, and even sports, collaboration is a favorite buzzword.

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Artists from different musical genres can whip up a one-of-a-kind record to titillate fans. An athlete may partner with a big sports line to boost his personal brand as well as the company’s. The catwalk also often witnesses the partnership of a designer and a breakout model.

Just recently, the local beauty industry saw a unique collab between an online shop and a Korean pop superstar to promote K-beauty in the Philippines.

Although the country has seen established fashion labels bring in Korean celebrities for endorsement engagements, the teamwork between Yeppunonnie and hip-hop singer Jay Park was the first of its kind.

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Yeppunonnie Corp., a local company engaged in the retail and wholesale trade of health and beauty products, tapped Mr. Park to help market not only the newly registered entity but also the partners carrying various beauty lines from Seoul. He was the highlight of the K-Beauty Philippines fair last Jan. 24 at the Valkyrie at The Palace.

Several well-known Korean brands participated in the beauty fair including Holika Holika, Purederm and It’s Skin. A number of labels which are also looking at getting more Filipino customers participated such as Dr. Bright, RiRe, Lebaton, Amini, and Makeup Helper.

Although a club is not a usual venue for a health, wellness, and beauty gathering (as it was a challenge to understand the benefits of the products as explained by the beauty consultants manning the booths), the guests had a heyday collecting free product samples from more than a dozen beauty stalls. Some of the participating brands also conducted makeup tutorials, giving the audience tips on how to highlight their Pinay features using Korean products. Aside from the demonstration, popular local beauty bloggers also took the stage to share a tip or two on personal styling.

MINI CONCERT
Aside from the showcase of the products, the audience took part in the fair to watch Korean rapper and dancer who used to be the leader of K-pop group, 2PM, perform.

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Himself an endorser of big fashion names such as Levi’s, Nike, and Adidas, it was apparently the first time for Mr. Park to lend his name to a Philippine entity.

Unlike some Korean celebrities who can be audacious in terms of styling and fashion tastes, the model-choreographer — who is peppered with tattoos all over his body — exudes a hip and confident vibe. He opened his mini-concert with “Nothin’ On You,” greeting his Filipinos fans after an absence of five years. Mr. Park, who is the founder and CEO of the AOMG (Above Ordinary Music Group), a Korean independent record label specializing in hip hop, last visited the Philippines in 2012, shortly after leaving 2PM.

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Wearing an all-black ensemble topped with a pink jacket, Mr. Park stopped his first song midway to interact with the audience and then immediately moved to “Joah,” an original which he wrote and released in April 2013. When he asked the audience if they knew his songs, the fans answered a resounding “yes,” obviously delighting the K-pop icon. A fantastic dancer and an engaging singer, he removed his jacket in “Solo,” which he followed up with “All I Wanna Do.” The crowd went wild when he lost his top completely while performing “Ain’t No Party Like an AOMG Party” and “Mommae.” Although supposedly under the weather, Mr. Park did not skip a beat and dished out a performance that left the fans asking for more. He was so game that he even took a drink from an audience member to quench his thirst when no bottled water was readily available.

After six songs, the 29-year-old singer continued to party, joining on stage DJ Ronan Poe and invading the dance floor.

In his Instagram stream last Saturday, he briefly talked about his recent Philippine visit and said he looks forward to returning soon as his fans here certainly know how to party.

Commissioning the services of male celebrities to endorse beauty and health care products for women is becoming more and more common. Yeppunonnie looks forward to more collaborations in the future. Beauty is universal nowadays and cosmetics is gender-neutral. — CSV