On July 6, 2025, BTS’ Taehyung (V) attended the CELINE Spring/Summer 2026 show at Paris Fashion Week—his first official event since completing military service in June. He wore an embroidered grey suit and was warmly welcomed by fans and media.
However, fans noticed that HYBE (BigHit Music) didn’t post anything about his appearance, unlike how they’ve promoted fashion events for other members, including SUGA (Valentino) and RM (Bottega Veneta).
Fans on X allegedly claimed that HYBE has regularly shared coverage from publications such as WWD, Billboard, or Elle when BTS members attended luxury events. However, no such articles were shared for Taehyung’s appearance.
Fans also stated that despite international publications reporting his attendance and interactions, his own label didn't share any articles.
The silence led fans to speculate that HYBE may be sidelining V’s solo brand partnerships, especially as many believe he secured those deals independently. An X user, @purplesNgreen, wrote,
"HYBE hates the fact that despite their effort not to publish any photos & articles of THE KIM TAEHYUNG in PARIS, THE MEDIA, THE ICONIC FASHION COMMUNITY & NUNA V came through!!!! This demolition job they're doing is intentional coz they cant accept TAEHYUNG'S IMPACT!."
Some users claimed the company did not promote his solo debut album, Layover, equally. They pointed to alleged minimal playlist support and poor promotional planning.
"And the way they have endless articles to choose from. It's nothing but jealousy at this point. I think they're barely making a buck from his endorsements," a fan commented.
"Why do they always do this to him? Whether it's album promotions or any other activity they don't even mention about it once," an X user mentioned.
"What else can we expect from them ? Countless articles written yet they refuse to promote him. Thankfully he doesn't need to rely on them for promotion," another one said.
"At this point I think his solo activities are not under BH (he didn't resigned individual contract, he has only group contract," a fan added.
Others too joined in as they urged the label to promote the singer's solo endeavours like other members.
"@BIGHIT MUSIC Be fair for TAEHYUNG.. Nothing ever going to changes. Taehyung fans need to stand together for this mistreatment," an X user wrote.
"it was your artist's first major appearance post MS, he was the MOST mentioned of the night, approached by senior representatives of fashion giants and Anna Wintour herself but you can't even bother to make a simple post about it...sigh," a fan remarked.
"Can someone explain why @bts_bighit hasn’t even retweeted a single post or acknowledged taehyung’s appearance at the Celine event? Not even one kmedia article has been posted. Seriously?," another one added.
Taehyung’s CELINE moment goes viral as fans revisit earlier claims of neglect by agency
Despite the agency’s alleged lack of coverage, the CELINE show was a success for V. As reported by Star News and influencer platform HypeAuditor, he topped Instagram’s engagement charts post-event. He was ranked third globally behind Ronaldo and Messi.
His appearance at the fashion event also caught the attention of key fashion figures like Sidney Toledano of LVMH and Anna Wintour. The latter also invited him to Vogue’s October 2025 event in Hollywood.
According to SocialBook, V’s Instagram engagement rate stood at an impressive 20.6% over the last 60 days. It was one of the highest globally. He gained over 1.22 million followers in the 25 days following his military discharge on June 10, 2025. He now holds the record for most followers among male K-pop idols in the U.S. (12.4 million followers).
HYBE was previously criticized by fans earlier in March 2025. They allegedly used a non-music magazine photo of V in the “BTS 7 Visualizer Moments” teaser, while members were represented by their solo album artwork. Other grievances include Layover’s underpromotion.
With BTS’ full reunion approaching, fans continue to demand that HYBE treat all members equally.