BTS’ V chose his moniker because it stands for victory, and that he has certainly achieved since debuting almost 10 years ago. He set the Guinness World Records for quickest person to reach 10 million followers on Instagram (It only took 4 hours and 52 minutes), became one of the first male cover stars for Vogue Hong Kong along with his bandmates and paved the way for K-pop’s success on the global stage. 

With a soulful voice and undeniable charisma, he has won over the hearts of fans and luxury brands alike. In March 2023, V officially became the brand ambassador of Hedi Slimane’s Celine and a few months later, he was named Cartier’s newest ambassador and the face of the latest Panthère de Cartier campaign. 

But outside of his public persona, V is just Kim Taehyung – a “regular person”, as he described in an interview with Vogue Korea. He’s a lover of jazz music, the owner of a teacup pomeranian named Yeontan, and a gamer who spends hours playing Overwatch with his bandmate Jungkook. Through fashion, he reconnects with that part of himself. In the interview, V shared that he “used to go for the British style”, but nowadays he dresses to honour his authentic “me”. 

These days, that looks like relaxed but preppy ensembles comprising of striped shirts and belted oversized trousers. Most outfits are earth-toned and relatively modest compared to the bright neons he used to don in earlier years. 

“In everyday life, though, I need to know who I am as Kim Taehyung, as a regular person,” Kim Taehyung says, “So I try to wear what best expresses who I am as a person every day, or how I feel each day.”