K-pop and the fashion industry go hand in hand.

Many of the K-pop idols have been named brand ambassadors of various luxury brands from Dior to Versace. These ambassadors mostly wear clothes and accessories of the brand they represent.

Similarly, they are invited to multiple events that take place all over the world, especially fashion weeks. Usually, they come as a guest and are on the frontlines to watch the runway.

However, Paris Fashion Week 2024 was a little different, especially for Louis Vuitton. They invited their ambassadors to the show, including Stray Kids’s Felix. 

However, Felix was not invited to watch the runway, but instead walk on it.

Felix’s runway debut

Felix walked the catwalk for Louis Vuitton on March 5, 2024, as part of the luxury fashion house’s F/W 2024 womenswear presentation at Paris Fashion Week’s Cour Carrée du Louvre.

He wore clothes made by Louis Vuitton’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière for the brand’s current collection, which includes two-toned grey slacks, a white turtleneck, and matching fur gloves. 

Felix was then joined by Squid Game actor Jung Jo-yeon, who introduced the Louis Vuitton show, to lead the runway finale. In a video for Louis Vuitton, Felix talked about his journey of his runway debut.

He revealed how he met Ghesquière in Seoul, South Korea when he attended the Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2023 Show on the Jamsugyo Bridge at the Hangang River on April 29, 2023. He and the creative director instantly clicked and a couple of months later, Felix was announced as one of the ambassadors for Louis Vuitton.

“I discovered Felix when I presented my pre-fall collection in Seoul,” Ghesquière shared in a press release while announcing him as the ambassador. “It instantly clicked between us. He is really talented. I love his energy, his unique personality, and his audacious sense of style.”

Felix for Louis Vuitton F/W 2024 womenswear presentation at Paris Fashion Week. (Source: Instagram)

Since then, Felix has been to various shows of Louis Vuitton all over the world. Looking at photos and videos of him with Ghesquière, it is evident that the duo are good friends and have deep respect for each other.

In the video, the Stray Kids member talked about how he was invited to walk on the runway for Paris Fashion Week 2024. One day, he was on his schedule and was catching the flight when his manager told him that he would be walking on the runway for Paris Fashion Week 2024.

Felix asked his manager about who invited him and the manager revealed that it was Ghesquière himself who wanted the idol to showcase his collection. Talking about his friendship with Ghesquière, Felix said, “It’s been long since I have seen Nicholas. It’s funny cause no matter how distant we are, in a sense, that I get that warm feeling from a good friend.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Felix (@yong.lixx)

Felix’s mother was there to witness him walk the runway, which the idol described as a surreal moment. After the show, he took the opportunity to thank his fans and followers for making it possible for him to fulfill one of his biggest dreams.

As soon as he hit the runway, Felix was trending worldwide, with netizens complimenting his looks, walking, and clothes. Many even said that the idol should venture more into the fashion industry since he could book gigs and shows with his looks and personality.

Looking at Felix and how he was trending, it won’t be a surprise if we see him walk the runways more often in the near future.

Felix beyond Stray Kids

Felix started as a trainee with JYP Entertainment in February 2017. Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids, personally chose him, making him the band’s sixth member.

Felix continued to train with Stray Kids until the survival program Stray Kids aired. During this program, he was eliminated in the eighth episode, as selected by Park Jin-young, the founder of JYP Entertainment.

However, after careful thought and a fan vote, Felix was restored to the group in the next show. Stray Kids then released their pre-debut EP Mixtape before officially debuting with the EP I Am Not on March 25, 2018.

However, Felix has made a name for himself beyond Stray Kids.

Individually, he hosted the music show Pops in Seoul from July 2019 until January 2020. In June 2022, Felix appeared on his labelmate Nayeon’s first EP Im Nayeon‘s song ‘No Problem.’

His first solo single, ‘Deep End,’ appeared on Stray Kids’ compilation album SKZ-Replay in December 2022, and he debuted his unreleased song, ‘Rev It Up,’ on the group’s 5-Star Dome Tour in 2023. In October 2023, Felix had a surprise appearance in the music video for labelmate NiziU’s South Korean debut single ‘Heartris.’

He has also appeared on the cover of several magazines like Vogue Korea, Harper’s Bazaar Korea, Harper’s Bazaar Japan, Elle, and Cosmopolitan,  while modeling for various brands, including Louis Vuitton, Versace, Bulgari Perfumes, and Kenzo Perfumes.

Felix is also a philanthropist. In 2020, he began making frequent donations and sponsorships to Save the Children, an international children’s rights organization.

His services earned him membership in the honors club. He also gave ₩50 million (approximately $38,500 in 2023) to fund relief efforts following the earthquake in Turkey and Syria on February 6th. 

Felix became the youngest member of the UNICEF Honors Club in January 2024 by donating ₩100 million (equal to $76,100 in 2024) to the Korean Committee for UNICEF to assist Laos children suffering from inadequate sanitation and nutrition.