NEWJEANS Owned 2022. They’re going even bigger in 2023. The group may not have celebrated its first birthday yet, but the South Korean quintet behind hit songs “Attention” and “Hype Boy” has become a need-to-know name in fashion circles. In March alone, NewJeans’ members Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein, all still in their teens, have inked a global ambassadorship with Levi’s, appeared in a photo shoot for American Vogue and were appointed ambassadors for Seoul Fashion Week. Individually, Hanni represents Gucci and Armani Beauty, Hyein works with Louis Vuitton, Danielle was tapped by Burberry and YSL Beauty, while Minji is an ambassador for Chanel in three divisions: fashion, beauty and watches and jewelry. These luxury brands are anticipating hefty returns from lovers of Korean music, movies and TV shows. The number of “hallyu” (or “Korean Wave”) fans exceeded 178 million last year, according to a report by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated Korea Foundation, up from 156 million in 2021 and nearly 20 times the fan population 11 years ago. Data from social media analytics agency LaunchMetrics shows that K-pop stars are regularly some of the top drivers of engagement and subsequently revenue for brands. When Cartier announced Blackpink’s Jisoo as brand ambassador, for instance, that social media post generated US$3 million in media value for the brand, and when BTS attended the 2022 Grammy Awards dressed in Louis Vuitton the appearance generated US$6.4 million of value for the label. Brands have plenty of options: NewJeans is one of more than a dozen K-pop acts to launch last year, including Mimiirose, Fifty Fifty and Le Sserafim. Many are looking to fill the void left by BTS, which has temporarily disbanded until around 2025 while its members undertake their mandatory military service. Meanwhile, top acts like Blackpink and Twice are embarking on global tours as the live events calendar returns to its pre-pandemic form. Because of their softer, pared-back look, NewJeans has benefited from the fashion industry’s recent turn towards quiet luxury. The moniker NewJeans was chosen because it alludes to jeans being a timeless fashion staple, and is also a pun for “new genes,” an indication of their intent to herald a new generation of K-pop. In short, NewJeans are the kind of performers that brands can harness as a refreshing alternative. Although their meteoric rise is similar to Blackpink’s, and both acts are multi-member girl groups, that’s mostly where the similarities end. When it comes to aesthetic and musical appeal, NewJeans has been charting its own path with a girl-next-door look and sweet pop tunes since debuting last July. Instead of high-octane makeup and outfits, the girls are styled as innocent and mostly natural. In the music videos for both “Ditto” and “Cookie,” they wear schoolgirl uniforms, meanwhile in “OMG,” they dance with backpacks in the shape of stuffed toy animals. The sets in each of their music videos are relatively simple, too — for example, a sports field, or a studio with a bench as the only prop. It’s a contrast to the swaggery dance moves and highly-saturated, CGI-effects-filled music videos that have been dominant among K-pop girl groups. That choice could be due to how young the group’s members are. The oldest, Minji, is only 18, while Hyein is just 14. The cutesy stylings also extend to their dedicated fan app “Phoning” and YouTube channel, where they release the kind of content that could double as a children’s TV show. In various 30-minute clips, they play shop, throw a pajama party and visit a farm, for example. Brands and events have been lining up to tap into their growing following, a fandom that call themselves Bunnies or “tokki” — a reference to a cartoon rabbit character on the NewJeans’ album cover. Seoul Fashion Week appointed the group ambassadors for 2023, succeeding actor Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game” fame. The organizers pointed to “their daily fashion and stage outfits (which) show this naturalness and bouncy charm in a bright and friendly way,” and coordinated for the group to promote local designers Ulkin, Ajobyajo and Blr Bluer during the event. But as important as their home market is, it’s the girls’ international appeal that stands out. Musinsa, a leading e-commerce platform that specializes in selling South Korean fashion overseas, signed the group in October as ambassadors. The company, which stocks some 300 brands like Thisisneverthat and Mardi Mercredi on its global site, said in the announcement it expects the group to “create a new wave of K-fashion” and that they will “be perfect as a K-icon for promoting Korean fashion brands to the world.” In March, the group was featured in a photo shoot with the U.S. edition of Vogue, shot by photographer Cho Giseok. Because Cho is founder of the LVMH Prize-nominated fashion label, Kusikohc, his brand saw a jump in social media followers after the Vogue photo shoot. Lawrence Von Mohl, global brand manager for Kusikohc, said that Asian pop stars tend to cultivate much more intense fanbases in the West, while Asian followers are more willing to spend money to support their idols, even irrationally. “The following is insane,” said Von Mohl. “If you go to the big (fashion) shows of Chanel, Dior or whatnot, there’re screams when the K-pop stars come out, you can barely hear your own voice, and not when a Western celebrity runs down the carpet.” (SD-Agencies) | 