Disney’s Mulan may have been a flop, but actress Liu Yifei is still raking in the glory. The star has recently become the new face of Louis Vuitton (LV) in China.
She will be joining Alicia Vikander, Léa Seydoux, Naomi Osaka, and Emma Stone as a brand ambassador for the fashion house, according to a statement released on the brand’s Weibo account on January 31. She is set to feature in the brand’s Spring 2021 campaign, which will be directed by Nicolas Ghesquière — LV’s artistic director for its women’s collections.
Liu is the first female brand ambassador for China since Fan Bingbing stepped down, in light of her 2018 tax scandal.
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Although Liu has an instant recognition factor for audiences in China, she’s also a potentially risky choice from LV. Her 68 million fans on Chinese social media platform Weibo have been quick to flood LV’s announcement post with messages of support for the endorsement and screenshots of order confirmations for the brand’s goods, but the actor can be something of a polarizing figure in China, .
The Chinese American actress has previously featured on the covers of Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue China, and she’s already established as a global spokesperson for Adidas. However, she got into hot water in August 2019 after sharing content that displayed support for Hong Kong police amid the territory’s pro-democracy protests, prompting a backlash and calls to boycott Mulan.
Yet she has also faced backlash from some audiences in China, after she referred to herself “Asian” instead of “Chinese” in the build-up to Mulan‘s release.
