It’s that time of the week again when I take deep dive into some of the beautifully curated shelves of Kpop Collectors. This week I talked to Afik, whose BTS collection is an extensive haven to armys, ranging from the sought-after Artist Merch collection to the latest photo folios that had all of us screaming out for. Their collection is a subtle black and white hue allowing their collection to shine, chapter two has certainly been a rollercoaster for fans, so let’s get talking and meet Afik.
What was the first band that got you into K-pop?
Afik: My first and only band is BTS, I didn’t really like K-pop, and to be honest, I actually didn’t like BTS, I knew them since 2014 but fell in love with them in 2021.
What was your first Kpop album purchase, and what's your favorite one to date?
Afik: My first album was the deluxe version of ‘BE’ by BTS. My favorite album is ‘The Most Beautiful Moment In Life’ and ‘Love Yourself: Tear.’
How many albums do you think you own? Do you have a checklist of the remaining ones to collect?
Afik: I have 40 albums by BTS, I have a list of all the Korean and Japanese albums so I check it while collecting.
Out of all the albums you have, which would you say has the most aesthetically pleasing packaging?
Afik: I really like the ‘Young Forever’ night version packaging.
For those who want to get creative with displaying their albums, what are the best things to have to start the process?
Afik: There are a lot of options to display an album, you can have it in an acrylic box that will show your album beautifully. What I do is I put it in an order that I like on a shelf, you can see all the album's names and I think it’s so calming and aesthetically pleasing.
How do you like to display all your shelves/albums? What's your favorite part of the process?
Afik: I like to display mine by height and colors, my favorite is decorating and rearranging my shelves.
You were able to attain all the BTS artist-made collections, out of all the pieces which one was your favorite to receive, unbox and display?
Afik: Yes I was able to get all the artist-made collections and I’m so grateful, my favorite I think is the Jungkook mikrokosmos mood lamp and J-Hope’s side-by-side mini bag.
With BTS treating us to so many new pieces of merch recently do you aim to get your biases merch first? (We have the same bias line) How do you go about deciding what to collect first?
Afik: I don’t buy my biases Merch first, I collect OT7 so whatever comes out first I buy. For example, J-Hopes album ‘Jack in the box’ came out so I bought the album and his merch. The new photo folio collection I’ve bought every one that’s come out.
Since chapter two, armys have been spoilt with so much new music, is there a specific member's music you are most looking forward to? What's been your favorite moment from chapter two so far?
Afik: We’re truly blessed with BTS’S chapter two and I really enjoyed Jack in the box so much. Every day and week we got something new. The album was a masterpiece, I actually don’t know who I’m looking forward to the most because every member has his own thing that I adore. I’m so excited for Namjoon and Suga's albums I really liked Mono and Agust D. But I’m also so excited for Jin’s album I think the world is not ready for his art. It’s tough to say because the vocal line will kill it with every single thing they do so I guess I’m just excited for everyone.
Who inspires your decor, and do you have any good tips for keeping shelves organized and aesthetically pretty?
Afik: Thank you so much, I always wanted to look that way, I like black so much and cool tones are my vibe, it’s my house decor and my wardrobe.
The layout of your Instagram is very well curated and shows off everything beautifully, did you always want to curate a black and white aesthetic? Any advice to those who want to showcase their collection on Instagram?
Afik: I advise you to download an app to rearrange Instagram photos so you can decide what to post to your feed. There are a lot of layouts you can do that flat photos of the collection and you can do photos of shelves. People like it all so just figure out what you like, I started with flat photos and then moved on to shelves.
Follow Afik over on their instagram here Be sure to stick around @Kpopwise for more updates on all your favorite Kpop artists and idols!
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