According to Koreaboo, Prada is one of the leading luxury fashion brands with many celebrities representing the brand. Especially in Asia, many Korean, Chinese, and Japanese stars have signed ambassador contracts for this brand, using their influence to help the brand become popular.
However, recently, Prada has been mentioned frequently for negative news related to its ambassadors. The phrase "prada curse" has been circulating on social networks, when a series of ambassadors of this fashion house were involved in scandals that affected their careers, even facing legal problems.
Last month, Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun - Prada's new ambassador appointed since December 2024 - was involved in the biggest scandal of his career, involving the late actor Kim Sae Ron. Prada representatives had to announce the termination of Kim Soo Hyun's contract through the media.
Recently, Prada has once again become a hot topic of discussion when another brand ambassador continues to cause a stir because of private scandal. Japanese actress Nagano Mei - Prada ambassador since 2023 - is accused of cheating.
On April 23, Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun reported that Nagano Mei had an affair with actor Tanaka Kei - 15 years older than her and already married. The magazine released photo evidence showing the couple staying overnight at Nagano's apartment.
In addition, according to Bunshun, a source provided them with photos of the two artists having an affair on Halloween last year. In which, Nagano and Tanaka hold hands, the female star born in 1999 relies on the role of an extremely close colleague.
In particular, the Japanese screen "ge time" was also accused of "catching fish in both hands", having an affair with Tanaka Kei and Korean actor Kim Moo Joon.
Tanaka Kei, Nagano Mei and Kim Moo Joon have denied the information. Tanaka Kei admitted that he slept overnight at Nagano Mei's house due to being drunk and fainting, but denied that they had an affair. Meanwhile, Kim Moo Joon's management company affirmed that the two were just "close colleagues".
Nagano Mei's management company said that she has a habit of inviting friends home to chat and have dinner, so this may have caused misunderstandings.
Information accusing Nagano Mei and Tanaka Kei of cheating caused a stir in public opinion. In addition to discussions about Nagano Mei's love life, netizens once again mentioned the "prada curse" because the actress is also a Prada ambassador.
The "prada curse" spread because many ambassadors of this brand in Asia have been boycotted due to scandals. In addition to Kim Soo Hyun and Nagano Mei, there are Trinh Sang, Ngo Diec Pham, Ly Dich Phong, Thai Tu Khon, Kha Chan Dong, Chanyeol (EXO), Irene (Red Velvet).
Ngo Diec Pham was even sentenced to 13 years in prison, then deported from China for 10 years for rape and some other crimes related to sex.
In March this year, Kim Soo Hyun was accused by the family of the late actor Kim Sae Ron and YouTube channel Garosero of having had a relationship with Kim Sae Ron for 6 years, since she was a minor (2015-2021).
Kim Soo Hyun admitted to dating Kim Sae Ron for about a year (from the summer of 2019 to the fall of 2020), but he denied the accusation of dating minors.
The actor has filed a lawsuit against Kim Sae Ron's family and the head of Garosero channel for defamation, demanding compensation of 12 billion won.
Although the incident has not been clarified, this scandal seriously affects Kim Soo Hyun's image and career.
The 60-billion-dong investment film Knock-Off starring him has been postponed for its first part and the filming of its second part has been postponed. The actor had many advertising contracts and brand representative contracts canceled.
In particular, the Prada brand has declared through the media to terminate the contract with Kim Soo Hyun, after considering the seriousness of the problem. The new "Tears Queen" was appointed as this brand ambassador from December 2024 and ended cooperation in less than 3 months.
