While some others could see them as fancies of the time, one such pattern of controversies involving multiple high-profile Asian celebrities surfaced, connecting them to the luxury fashion brand Prada, triggering public interest and concern, and causing some to call it the "Prada Curse."
Like most of the world's biggest luxury brands, Prada has countless celebrity representatives in Asia alone.
However, an increasing number of these stars have faced scandals ranging from cheating allegations to legal troubles.
Among the most notable cases is Chinese actress Zheng Shuang, who was dropped by Prada after a surrogacy scandal surfaced in early 2021.
The scandal involved allegations that she abandoned her children born through surrogacy in the U.S. following a breakup with her boyfriend.
She also faced accusations related to tax evasion. Zheng's Prada ambassadorship ended just a week after the surrogacy scandal broke.
Chinese actor Li Yifeng, who ranked ninth on Forbes China Celebrity list in 2015, was detained by police in 2022 over allegations of soliciting prostitution.
After confessing to the accusations, his career was put on hold, and he was dropped from his Prada ambassadorship shortly after the scandal became public.
Red Velvet's Irene was involved in a controversy over her attitude in 2020, the same year she was announced as a Prada ambassador.
Her contract with Prada appears to have expired without renewal following the incident.
Other figures include EXO's Chanyeol, accused of cheating on his girlfriend with multiple women during their relationship.
Despite negative public sentiment, he was not officially dropped by Prada.
Taiwanese actor Kai Ko faced a marijuana scandal in 2014 shortly after signing with Prada but has continued his career since.
More recently, Chinese star Cai Xu Kun was embroiled in rumors in 2023 involving an alleged pregnancy and abortion with a woman who claimed his mother hired a private detective to follow her.
Cai admitted to having a consensual relationship with the woman and said the abortion was mutual. His association with Prada ended, but he was signed by Versace in 2024.
Nagano Mei, a long-time Prada ambassador, was recently accused of having an affair with a married man and two-timing with a Korean actor.
There has been no official announcement regarding changes to her ambassadorship.
Actor Kim Soo Hyun was reportedly dropped by Prada following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with underaged actress Kim Sae Ron.
The recurring scandals involving these high-profile figures have raised questions about the brand's choice of ambassadors and the impact on its image.
Many other stars who have worked with Prada seem to have weathered the storm, but the spate of controversy has caused some observers to deem it a "curse" on the brand's representatives in Asia.
