The Korean ‘hallyu’ star brought the house down as guest DJ at BENCH Fashion Week 2025.
The moment BTS Jungkook’s Seven pulsated around the vast Space hall and the audience rushed towards Sung Hoon at the turntable, jumping, you knew that this BENCH Fashion Week 2025 was really like no other.
Sung Hoon and BENCH main man Ben Chan
The much-anticipated DJ-ing of this Hallyu star was really happening—the buzz among the BENCH fashion faithful during the BFW Sept.19-20, especially when they spotted Sung Hoon in the shows, of course, in the front row, right beside BENCH main man Ben Chan. Even the non-fashionistas among the K-drama lovers were so excited over Sung Hoon not only visiting Manila, but also spinning for BENCH Fashion Week.
Sung Hoon takes a selfie with Tessa Prieto and Ben Chan
Sung Hoon was in the house as the culmination of BENCH Fashion Week 2025 Holiday Collection, for a unique fanmeet the likes of which Manila hadn’t seen. As the BENCH Workwear portion wound up the September 20 finale, the light panned to Sung Hoon in the audience, and to rousing applause, he stood up, strode to the runway, stopped in the middle and took a bow before the crowd, a most mannish curtsy. The Sung Hoon charisma of K-drama fame was in full force, and the fans welcomed it with screams.
‘DJ-ing is all about sharing the moment with the crowd,’ Sung Hoon said.
Sung Hoon took full control of the table, spinning today’s most popular Soda Pop by Saja Boys (from the Netflix blockbuster KPop Demon Hunters) after JK’s Seven. Everybody was in K-pop heaven.
The celebrity DJ then segued to Bruno Mars/Rose’s APT, and the runway turned into a huge dancefloor.
“DJing is all about sharing the moment with the crowd—I watch their reactions and enjoy the music together with them,” Sung Hoon said.
The Korean star feels right at home in Manila.
This was Sung Hoon’s second visit to Manila, the first being a private one last year.
“BENCH is the one who gave me the opportunity to set foot in the Philippines for the first time, and I’m grateful for that,” he added.
The Korean star is obviously so at home in the city, and with the Filipinos. “The people here are so warm and friendly. That’s what makes this place special for me.”
Sung Hoon has gained a global following for Korean dramas that have enjoyed a world audience, starting in 2015 in Oh My Venus, all the way to Love Marriage Divorce (three seasons from 2021), My Secret Romance, Woori the Virgin, Perfect Marriage, Level Up, among others. He also grew a huge following for his food reality shows, and currently his lifestyle channel (on YouTube) ATM (AdventureTasteMoments).
A mannish bow to thank the screaming crowd
Asked about his plans, Sung Hoon said, “I’ll be traveling around different countries for fan meetings. After that, I can’t reveal much yet since it’s still a secret, but I’ll be doing some variety shows and also working on a drama.”
The special DJ brought a memorable finale to the country’s biggest fashion week.
DJ Sung Hoon was a unique memorable finale to the BENCH Fashion Week 2025 Holiday Collection held September 19-20 in the newly opened Space at One Ayala on Ayala Avenue, Makati. BFW is the biggest fashion week in the Philippines and the biggest platform for both established and emerging designers, and the top retail brands.
The collections of Koko Gonzales, Neric Beltran, Bree Esplanada, HA.MU x HUMAN, Daryl Maat, and Jaggy Glarino won popular and critical acclaim for their unique out-of-the-box designs that showed both diversity and individuality. Their collections proved that BENCH, particularly through the annual Fashion Week the past 17 years and Ternocon, serves as the foremost incubator for contemporary Philippine fashion.
The crowd was in K-pop heaven and moving to the music.
The BENCH Fashion Week 2025 Holiday Collection paraded the top retail brands Kashieca, 8Seconds, Urban Revivo, Cotton On, MLB, and BENCH Workwear.
