The influence of South Korean girl group IVE member Jang Won-young has reached a fever pitch, with a specific dessert trend she popularised now making international headlines. The “Dubai Chocolate” phenomenon, which has seen fans across Asia scrambling for a taste, recently caught the attention of global news outlet CNN after causing chaotic scenes at dessert boutiques.
Commonly referred to as the “Queen of Sold Out,” Jang Won-young’s endorsement of Dubai chocolate-themed treats sent social media into a frenzy. In Taiwan, high-end cake specialist Lady M felt the full force of this trend when it launched a limited-edition Dubai Chocolate Mille Crêpes. The demand was so overwhelming that fans began queuing at Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 and Taichung’s Eslite Life 480 in the early hours of the morning.
The frenzy has also birthed a lucrative secondary market. While a single slice is priced around 300 TWD (approximately RM40), “scalpers” and professional queue-standers have reportedly been reselling the cakes online for as much as 1,000 TWD (RM135). To combat this, Lady M has implemented strict purchase limits, restricting sales to two slices per person for takeaway only, and has suspended the sale of whole nine-inch cakes.
The sheer scale of the “queue economy” surrounding the product led CNN to report on the spectacle, highlighting how a single celebrity recommendation can disrupt local markets. The promotional event, originally intended to run longer, is now scheduled to conclude early on 31 March as the brand attempts to manage the intense market volatility.
