Thai actors top fashion week global metric charts - Bangkok Post
For years, the global fashion-week front row seemed to belong to a familiar club: Hollywood actors, supermodels and K-pop idols whose every appearance could trigger a spike in online conversation. But coming in hot this season is the rise of Thai celebrities in the global spotlight of this Fall's fashion weeks.
From Paris to Milan, Thai celebrities are increasingly becoming fixtures at the world’s biggest fashion houses, turning their appearances into moments that travel far beyond the walkway. They are not simply filling coveted front-row seats; they are generating the kind of global attention, engagement and media value that luxury brands can put a number on.
At Dior’s Spring/Summer 2027 show during Paris Fashion Week last week, Thai actresses Orm Kornnaphat and Lingling Kwong returned to the front row for the second consecutive year. What began as a high-profile fashion-week appearance in 2025 has since evolved into official ambassador status, with the pair becoming some of Dior’s most powerful celebrity voices in Asia.
Orm, Jonathan Anderson, and Lingling. (Photo: @Ormkornnaphat)
Let’s allow the numbers to tell the story.
According to fashion analytics platform Launchmetrics, Orm generated US$20.5 million in Media Impact Value (MIV) from 18 placements during Fall/Winter 2026 Paris Fashion Week, while Lingling generated $19.2 million from 29 placements. Another analysis of their Dior presence placed their individual MIV even higher, at $30.5 million for Orm and $23.2 million for Lingling.
Lingling for Calvin Klein in New York. (Photo: @Linglingkwong)
MIV is more than a follower count. The Launchmetrics metric estimates the monetary value of the attention generated through media placements, social posts and interactions, giving luxury brands a way to measure the impact of a celebrity beyond the traditional red-carpet photograph.
Their dominance was also reflected in Onclusive’s analysis of Paris Fashion Week. Lingling and Orm ranked first and second among celebrity voices, accounting for 31.8% and 24.6% of celebrity share of voice respectively, putting the Thai duo ahead of several established K-pop stars attending the same fashion week.
And now, their influence is being recognised by the fashion industry itself. On Oct 2, The Business of Fashion named Lingling and Orm among the 100 new members of its BoF 500 Class of 2026, a definitive index of the people shaping the global fashion industry. The selection combines industry nominations with data analysis, with 445 nominees considered across eight categories this year.
LingOrm’s ascent comes at a particularly interesting time for Thai entertainment.
The global popularity of BL and GL dramas has created a new generation of Thai stars whose fan bases extend well beyond television and streaming platforms. These audiences follow their favourite actors everywhere from series premieres and concerts to lipstick launches, luxury campaigns and, increasingly, the front rows of Paris fashion week.
Jirawat "Dew" Sutivanichsak and Kanyawee "Thanaerng" Songmuang for Bottega Venetta. (Photo: @Dew_jsu)
There is serious commercial potential behind that fandom. Thailand’s BL and GL industry was valued at almost 5 billion baht in 2025, with the sector growing around 20% annually, according to analysis cited by Bloomberg. The government has also increasingly positioned Thai Y-series as an export opportunity, recognising entertainment as a vehicle for taking Thai culture to international audiences.
The lesson for fashion is clear. Celebrity influence is no longer confined to who gets photographed outside a show. It is about who can make millions of people stop scrolling, start talking - and eventually start shopping.
"PP" Krit Amnuaydechkorn for Gucci. (Photo: Gucci)
