I'LL-IT Criticized After Paris Fashion Week Invited Rookie Group: 'Oh, HYBE payola...'

Following confirmation that I'LL-IT will attend the Parish Fashion Week, K-pop fans raised their brows for THIS reason.

On February 22, HYBE's subsidiary label, Belift Lab announced that its upcoming girl group I'LL-IT will attend the prestigious Parish Fashion Week ahead of its debut.

As a result, it didn't sit well with K-pop fans and accused HYBE of "bribing" the event to "invite" the female ookies.

I'LL-IT Confirms Attendance After Being Invited at the 2024 Paris Fashion Week

Based on the announcement, the five-member girl group will head to Paris, France on February 28 to attend the Acne Studios F/W24 show.

As a girl group that is about to debut and release its first mini-album on March 25, it is rather unusual for them to attend the show and make an appearance prior to its official launch.

In fact, it is the first time that a K-pop artist will be invited to an overseas fashion week with all the members before their debut.

As an explanation of why Paris Fashion Week invited I'LL-IT, the global fashion event recognized the early influence of the girl group.

ALSO READ: I'LL-IT Youngseo Departs from Group, Agency Amid Debut Preparations — Here's What Happened to 'R U Next?' Contestant

Because the act was formed through a survival show, they immediately garnered great love from global fans and established a decent solid fandom. Aside from their skills, they are also amassing popularity for their bright, cheerful chemistry and visual combination of the members.

In addition to this, the cumulative number of views of I'LL-IT content using the hashtag "I'LL-IT" on the global short-form mobile video platform has exceeded 200 million.

I'LL-IT Criticized for Upcoming Appearance in PFW 2024, HYBE Accused of Using 'Payola'

When the news spread online especially among X users (formerly Twitter stans) a lot of K-pop fans showed a sour reaction to it.

First, netters raised their brows against I'LL-IT, who will attend the event to represent a brand, although they are yet to make an impact in the music scene, let alone outside their main field.

In particular, idols who were invited to the fashion event are usually those who already cemented their influence as "fashion icons" such as BIGBANG G-Dragon, EXO, BTS and BLACKPINK. After these aforementioned opened the industry for K-pop stars, newer top-tier groups like NewJeans, IVE, aespa, ENHYPEN, NCT and more followed.

However, there is no case where a full group with no established career has ever attended the event yet, aside from I'LL-IT.

As a result, multiple K-pop fans are accusing HYBE of using its power to bribe (payola) these events in order to promote the girl group and diminish its significance in the K-pop & fashion culture.

READ MORE: HYBE's Rookie Girl Group I'LL-IT Faces Plagiarism Accusation Before Official Debut — What Happened?

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Written by Eunice Dawson.