“The Kim Seokjin impact”—ARMYs react as FRED jewelry collections sell out hours after BTS Jin’s global ambassadorship announcement

On July 8, BTS' Kim Seok-jin became the global ambassador of Maison FRED. The luxury jewelry brand announced on its official website, welcoming the Epiphany singer-songwriter as their new global face.

The website published pictures of the BTS sensation flaunting their FRED Force 10 collection such as the Force 10 winch bracelet and the Force 10 iconic necklace.

Within two hours of the announcement, both the items were sold out on the website and from all their boutique stores. The Force 10 winch bracelet costs $27,127 whereas the Force 10 iconic necklace is priced at $97,398.

Notably, the website displayed "Price on Demand" for both items—usually done for exclusive items by all luxury Houses of Maisons.

Fans were stunned to see BTS Jin's impact on FRED's collection sale and they flooded social media with their reactions. One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote:

"The Kim Seokjin impact oh my god..."

Fans expressed their astonishment online and shared hilarious reactions to the news. Some emphasized that due to these "rich ARMYs," they won't be able to grab tickets for any BTS concerts once the band members return from their military service.

"WHERE THE ARMY THAT SAID " I CAN'T EVEN AFFORD TO GET ANY MERCH OR ANY BTS TICKETS CAUSE I'M BROKE AF"????? CAUSE WDYM THE BRACELET & NECKLACE WORTH MY ENTIRE LIFE TO GET IT ARE SOLD OUT NOW," a fan wrote.

"100k omg. Those rich armys will make it impossible for us to have a ticket for sure," another fan said.

"Jewelry collection is already sold out and now Yall crashed the site," one fan added.

"I know there are ARMY who can afford this. Good for them. Don't worry. We still have Jin Ramen," another fan wrote.

BTS ARMYs joked about FRED's FORCE 10 collection being more expensive than their "entire life savings."

"These jewellery are so expensive. Like people have to contact them or it has this like price on demand. The BRAND choosed a BRAND," one fan commented.

"22.6 lakhs umm how rich are ARMYs exactly like pls donate some? I'll complete my 2 years of MBA with this money. pls seriously someone donate one of these bracelets to me," another fan added.

"Girl this is an expensive EXPENSIVE jewellery brand....like who even bought that. His power is no joke," a fan wrote.

"That bracelet costs almost as much as my entire life savings. How rich are y’all?," another fan said.

---

BTS' Jin becomes the global ambassador for FRED—a luxury brand that partnered with the Special Olympics

FRED is a French luxury jewelry brand that partnered with the Special Olympics (a non-profit organization) to pay homage to and support intellectually challenged athletes.

On July 4, Jin uploaded pictures on Instagram, where he flaunted the FRED Force 10 stainless steel buckle bracelet. Additionally, part of the sales proceeds from the Force 10 steel buckle will be donated to the organization.

On July 2, the BTS idol was announced as one of the torchbearers aka Forerunners for the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics Torch Relay. He became the first K-pop idol to represent South Korea at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics which will be held on July 26.

The GRAMMY-nominated BTS singer joined the list of previous torchbearers like Muhammad Ali, David Beckham, Paralympic archer Antonio Rebollo, Prince William & Princess Kate, Prince Harry, and Serena Williams, among others.

Meanwhile, the French luxury jewelry brand Maison praised the Moon singer for his contribution to society. According to the brand's website, Jin is the ideal fit for Maison's vision as FRED Force 10 stands for freedom, achievement, courage, and casual elegance.

---

In other news, BTS' Kim Seok-jin is reported to feature on the Korean variety show, The Half-Star Hotel in Lost Island. Meanwhile, on July 8, 2024, Jin was spotted attending his alma mater, Posung High School, wearing a school uniform, to film for his reality show content.