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As the world got ready to ring in BTS’ ninth debut anniversary in June, fanbase account admins in India were already done racking up their brains for a multi-city event for desi ARMYs. In Mumbai, one of the most popular Instagram accounts, thehallyustore, was in the process of organizing a We are Bulletproof event.
On June 13, 2022, Naaz and Navsheen, the sister duo founders of thehallyustore, saw their months of hard work come to fruition. Upon entering The Emerald in Juhu, one could hear BTS’ songs blaring through the speakers, see fans grooving to the music and witness performers dressed up in K-pop idol-esque attire amid loud chitter-chatter from the flea market.
The event was organized and sponsored by thehallyustore, while other popular brands such as Love Karnival, The Hallyuism India, and Korean Culture India Fanclub were their media partners. Mumbai BTS also served as the associate partner.
Delhi and Kolkata also joined hands in celebrating the ninth-anniversary celebration and organized their own incredibly fun events. For those who missed the Mumbai event, you can scroll down for a recap of it.
SK POP recently had the opportunity to talk to Naaz and Navsheen, the masterminds behind the 'We are Bulletproof' event.
In this particular conversation, Naaz and Navsheen opened up about the event’s inception, the process, the origins of thehallyustore, and their future plans to SK POP’s Afreen Khan.
Founders of thehallyustore open up about their incredible journey, being a popular face in the Indian K-pop community, BTS’ anniversary event in Mumbai, and more
Q. Congrats on the successful BTS ninth-year anniversary event! With a flea market, numerous performers from the Indian K-pop community, giveaways, and a lot more, the event had something for everyone. How long did it take for you to plan for the event?
thehallyustore: We came up with the idea for this event in the month of April. We started by making an event plan, looking for venues, media partners, performers, associates, preparing a guest list, setting up the Indo-Korean flea, designing, and so much more.
Q. Throughout the event, Naaz, you were running around, making sure there was no interruption. What would you say was the most difficult part of the anniversary celebration?
Naaz: The difficult part of the event was around the time when we had to set up the Indo-Korean flea market. A few pop-ups came in late, which was hectic. It wasn’t that difficult, but yes, it took longer than expected to arrange the entire flea market.
Q. And Navsheen, you equally helped prepare the event and make it a success. From designing the cup sleeves and flexes to handling the event from your stall, what did you love doing the most?
Navsheen: Honestly, I loved doing both. I had always been into art and design, and I really loved how the cup sleeve and flex turned out! Also, not forgetting the pop-up [stores], I really enjoyed them. I especially enjoyed meeting so many ARMYs. All of them were so sweet, and I could totally relate to their temptation to buy albums when they came across our stall.
Q. What was your favorite segment of the 'We are Bulletproof' event?
thehallyustore: Our favorite segment of the event was when ARMYs were fan chanting with so much energy. Their enthusiasm and joy made us the happiest.
Q. You have organized events in the past, but this was by far your largest project, right?
thehallyustore: Yes, this is our largest project so far.
Q. Now, let's get into thehallyustore's history. Naaz, you established thehallyustore with your sister, Navsheen. How did it come about? When did you start?
Naaz: Back in 2020, during the lockdown period. We were working on some chores and discussing how to be productive. During this discussion, we came up with the idea of an online store. We always wanted to do something for Hallyu culture, and here we are now.
Q. Navsheen, you were pretty young when you started thehallyustore with Naaz. Did you ever think you'd become synonymous (and this famous) with the Indian K-pop community?
Navsheen: I was 14 when we started thehallyustore, and now it’s been more than 1.5 years. I never imagined that we would receive so much love and support in such a short span of time. Going through all these wonderful experiences, I am sure my 14-year-old self is really happy.
Q. thehallyustore has had its hand in organizing events that bring multiple fandoms together (ARMY, MOA, and an upcoming event for BLINK). Do you remember what your first event was?
thehallyustore: Yes, of course! We do remember our first event. It was held on March 21, 2022. It was BTS SUGA’s birthday celebration. We started our event journey with 40 people and are now seeing 250+ people joining us. We have come a long way. We are very thankful for the love and support that we have been receiving from people all around.
Q. What motivates you to continue hosting more events?
thehallyustore: Our love for this culture and our energetic audience, who has always been so supportive, keeping us motivated and giving us more power.
Q. What are your future plans for thehallyustore? With the increase in K-content consumption in India, would you be expanding your online store?
thehallyustore: Yes, we do have future plans for thehallyustore. We are planning to open our own offline store in Mumbai, which K-pop fans can keep an eye out for. Also, we are soon going to launch a platform where Hallyu stans can directly connect with each other. It will also be an opportunity for Korean and Indian sellers to connect with more and more people!
The sister duo organizes events in not only Mumbai but also other cities in India. Their upcoming event, Brunch with BLINKs, caters to BLACKPINK's fandom in Delhi. They have collaborated with Blink India Official admins for the get-together.
Flea market, photocard giveaways: Re-experience the successful BTS ninth anniversary event in Mumbai
The We are Bulletproof event, organized on June 13, 2022, was one of the biggest BTS events in Mumbai. The city’s growing love for Korean culture was apparent throughout the event too. It not only opened a gateway for people to discover fellow K-pop fans but also exposed them to multiple businesses and influencers who had forayed into K-content and culture.
Taking the anniversary event up a notch, thehallyustore founder duo, Naaz, and Navsheen, carefully chose an Indo-Korean theme. The K-pop giants’ nine years of success since their debut was a huge deal, and it only made sense to go all out for the fan event too, bringing the two cultures together.
With the Indo-Korean theme, thehallyustore admins perfected the celebration by bringing influencers such as content creators Piyuchino and Love Karnival, along with K-pop cover artists such as Axiom (read their interview here), Friskles, Chirag, Mayank, and more together under one roof.
The pop-up stores in the flea market were an exciting touch to the fest too. From adorable and fashionable products (stationery, jewelry, clothes, coasters, calendars, etc.) inspired mainly by BTS and K-pop to official K-pop/K-drama merchandise and K-food, the event was reflective of the significant demand of the ever-growing fandom in Mumbai.
There were enough people to create K-culture businesses, and many were ready to spend their money on them too. The Korea Fair in India 2022 event hosted in New Delhi was proof of this too.
A very apparent showcase of BTS’ diverse ARMY fandom was of a few parents seated in the audience amongst the young crowd. I’d particularly noticed a mother arriving to pick her daughter up, as the latter informed her that a few segments were remaining and asked her to stay.
In the crowd was Tina Dominic, a graphic designer/classical dancer who created a unique artsy crossover between Bharatanatyam X BTS through her merchandise.
What were the odds of me finding a mother-daughter ARMY duo? Frankly, I never thought I would. But after I saw Rehmat Been Shaikh’s smile when her daughter Zainab Shaikh told me that her mother also had a bias in BTS, I counted my blessings.
Zainab’s mother is just as passionate about BTS as Zainab. While speaking to them, Zainab shared how her mother pays close attention to BTS’ performances, notices little details about the members, and comments on their dance too.
She also plays the cheerleader and encourages Zainab to bring out her inner dancer too:
“She pushes me to learn their choreographies and while I dance, she corrects my mistakes. She’s like, ‘You shouldn’t do this, you’re being too loud. You know how they do it in a calm way?’ She tells me to go learn BTS choreography.”
Even when I asked them how long they had been an ARMY, Rehmat Been Shaikh remembered the duration better than her daughter.
Zainab: One and a half years.
Rehmat Been: More than that I believe.
Zainab: Yeah, in 2020 we started [stanning]. We’ll complete two years of stanning BTS in August.
Moreover, as is tradition with any K-pop event, thehallyustore and multiple other shops came forward for merch and photocard giveaways. The quintessential random play dance also brought out every fan’s inner dancer. The organizers even took a different route and brought in purple cupcakes instead of just a cake.
June 13, 2022, will definitely go down as a special memory for everyone who attended the event. Not only because they celebrated BTS’ ninth year of togetherness but also because of the exciting times a seven-member boy group across the sea helped them experience in Juhu, Mumbai.
