While gen4 Kpop is the most bloodily competitive era in history as even acts coming from small
entertainment companies can become monster digital, it’s still undeniable that NewJeans
is the phenomenon of the whole industry thanks to catchy music, unique fashion taste, and
most lately, prestigious titles in the luxury fashion world.
However, regarding recent incidents with famous designer houses, the act has sparked questions
as to whether venturing into this flamboyant few was the right move, especially when they
have just been in the industry for not up to a year.
“Golden spooned” kiddos going on a path similar to BLACKPINK’s
It’s undeniable that NewJeans is the "monster rookie" of the year as right after debuting,
they immediately topped the domestic and international charts and sealed the deals with various luxury
fashion brands.
However, looking at NewJeans, many still see the figure of BLACKPINK imprinted on the girls’
image.
NewJeans is expected to lead the 4th-generation girlgroups of Kpop, just as BLACKPINK did
for the 3rd generation and there are solid reasons for people to say that.
Of course there are still differences that single out New Jeans and in terms of music,
the girls chose a completely different direction from BLACKPINK and other 4th-generation girlgroups.
NewJeans gives the audience a comfortable and energetic feeling with the classic style
of the 2000s (y2k).
Along with that, all members are in their 10X age range, making them the perfect match
with the y2k which highlights innocence and youthfulness.
That’s why Min Hee Jin confirmed on the show "You Quiz On The Block": "I am sure the
group will bring a new and different breeze to the Kpop industry today."
However, in the fashion industry, it seems that NewJeans is following the path that BLACKPINK
has taken, even faster and more "gossipy."
Minji and Jennie "competing" for Chanel's privileges
On the morning of February 14, Minji became a hot topic when Elle Korea and HYBE management
announced her as the brand ambassador for Chanel in all three fields of fashion, beauty,
and watches-jewelry.
Yet, to everyone’s surprise, Chanel has not made any official announcement about Minji's
status on their social media platforms.
Netizens also scrutinized the suspicious points of the gift that the brand sent to Minji.
Chanel usually sends their designs as gifts, not sweets, and this picture was only posted
by a bakery in Korea, so there is no specific evidence that this is indeed a gift from Chanel
to Minji.
This is in complete contrast to the way the brand treats Jennie BLACKPINK as a brand ambassador.
Chanel always favors Jennie by sending her high-end gifts on her birthday, Christmas,
New Year, and basically any holiday ever existing on Earth.
She even attended a party by Chanel and was given a bouquet of specially made flowers
and a bag from the brand’s latest collection.
Controversial title of Hanni as Gucci brand ambassador
Just three months after NewJeans’ debut, Hanni became the "Brand Ambassador of Gucci"
despite never being featured in any campaigns or having much exposure to the brand.
And after being appointed as the "global ambassador of Gucci," Hanni faced criticism as this title
is not easily obtained and requires a significant amount of influence in fashion and the public
eye, a good fashion sense, and a long-standing relationship with the brand.
K-Pop fans were reminded of Jennie's past association with Gucci when she debuted with
BLACKPINK.
Jennie was even called the most beautiful Gucci-wearing goddess in the Korean entertainment
industry, and her outfits had a significant impact on the brand's sales.
This made many believe that Min Hee Jin, the mastermind behind NewJeans, is obsessed with
BLACKPINK’s fashion strategy and is doing everything in her reach to build NewJeans
a personal brand like BLACKPINK.
Burberry ignores Danielle's brand ambassador status
On January 5, 2023, another member of NewJeans, Danielle, was announced on Instagram as the
new global brand ambassador for Burberry.
At 17 years old, Danielle joined Burberry alongside two other Korean ambassadors, footballer
Son Heung-min and actress Jun Ji-hyun.
However, at Burberry's Autumn/Winter 2023 Fashion Show during London Fashion Week 2023,
Danielle (NewJeans' global ambassador) was unexpectedly absent.
She also didn't offer any congratulations to the fashion show, leading to speculation
about the relationship between the two parties.
So, has NewJeans had another self-proclaimed member with a brand ambassador status?
While the answer is unclear, this ironically reminds people of the time when Burberry still
supported and sent special love to Jisoo after her exclusive ambassador contract with Dior
was announced.
Back then, thanks to Burberry, Jisoo attended the brand's Spring-Summer 2020 fashion show
during London Fashion Week, making this her very first time attending a high-end fashion
show.
The brand even featured Jisoo on the cover of ELLE's December 2019 issue and because
of her immense positive influences on Burberry's reputation, the brand was still very fond
of Jisoo, even after she became a Dior brand ambassador.
The pitiful self-proclaimed “Brand Ambassador” of Hyein
Louis Vuitton recently posted a photo of Hyein and several other female celebrities who attended
their fashion show during Paris Fashion Week 2023.
However, Hyein was only referred to as a Brand Friend, not as a Brand Ambassador as stated
on NewJeans' Instagram account.
This situation has been dubbed as an unrequited love because Louis Vuitton has not confirmed
Hyein as their Brand Ambassador and even demoted her to a lower title.
Regarding the way Louis Vuitton has been treating Hyein and how she has never been featured
in any of the brand’s campaigns, many believe this "friendzone" status will be here to stay
for quite a long time.
This is extremely different from the situation of BLACKPINK as going back to 2018, BLACKPINK
also participated in Louis Vuitton's global advertising campaign and received high praises
for their charisma, beauty, and allure that perfectly matched the French fashion house's
floral designs.
Continuously promoting contact with luxury brands and appearing on magazine covers
Ambassador titles of NewJeans’s members have been surrounded by controversy and lack
of clarity.
For that reason, Kpop fans start to believe that recent ambassadorship announcements by
NewJeans members are all "deals" made behind the scenes to help NewJeans quickly establish
their name in the fashion industry.
Besides collaborating with various high-end brands such as Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton,
Celine, and Burberry, the girls also made their debut in the magazine world with their
first photoshoot, appearing on the special edition cover of Korea's Super Elle.
Since then, ADOR has continuously pushed for the act to appear on magazine covers, from
big magazines such as GQ Korea and Harper's Bazaar Korea in collaboration with Dior, to
smaller covers in South Korea.
Even Hyein was featured on the digital cover of VOGUE last November.
But can NewJeans become the new BLACKPINK of the fashion world?
It is no wonder that NewJeans' series of dizzying achievements over the past six months has
caused the public to compare them to BLACKPINK, the only girlgroup with all members managing
to become the Global Ambassadors of the world's leading fashion houses.
Unfortunately, while there are staggering similarities in the way NewJeans and BLACKPINK
establish contacts, become close friends with the designer brands, appear on covers and
achieve the titles of ambassador, NewJeans' trajectory seems to be creating a contrasting
effect.
BLACKPINK's brand ambassador identity was built on the foundation of the success of
their music, which attracted lots of attention and resonance with the public.
Afterward, the girls spent years getting close to the brands and becoming "best friends."
Although they debuted in 2016, it wasn't until 2019 when their reputation had spread that
Jennie became the first member of the group to be named ambassador of a luxury international
fashion brand - Chanel.
Following Jennie, Lisa, Rosé, and Jisoo were selected as global ambassadors of other high-end
brands between 2020-2021.
Most recently, Jisoo became a Cartier ambassador in May 2022.
However, NewJeans only took five months to have three members being claimed, or self-claimed,
ambassadors for three biggest luxury fashion brands in the world.
It can be seen that this is the direction of most entertainment companies for the 4th-generation
of Kpop.
Yet even so, all members of NewJeans are too young for this as their age only ranges from
14-18 years old, which is not mature enough, and regarding their experiences in the field,
there is also a huge gap to be filled, making the synergy with such prestigious brands controversial.
The public also believes that NewJeans have had too short of a time to interact with the
brands that they endorse, and they have not been able to prove themselves capable and
worthy factors to bring about a win-win outcome for both parties.
There are countless times Hanni has been criticized for looking forced and awkward when wearing
Gucci clothes; Hyein's aura is not enough to match Louis Vuitton clothes; and Danielle
wearing Burberry clothes does not show the brand's charisma...
Basically, many believed NewJeans are forcing high-end brand clothes on themselves rather
than truly shining in such designs, which according to some could be explained by the
fact that such items are not suitable for their age, so the aura, expression ability,
and fashion display did not leave good impressions.
Looking at NewJeans’ falling victim to such an ironic situation, many people blame Min
Hee Jin for being too greedy.
Many believed instead of focusing on music and performance during the debut period, Min
Hee Jin and HYBE are using their reputation to "go behind the scenes” with major brands,
trying to create revenues from fashion activities or for their own sake.
Until now, the titles of NewJeans' "brand ambassadors" are still self-proclaimed (except
for Hanni and Gucci) as most brands remain silent.
Therefore, the public also has reasons to believe that this 4th-generation music group
is still not "ripe" enough to keep up with BLACKPINK as all 4 BLACKPINK members were
announced as ambassadors on the fashion houses' Instagram in a confident way.
Talking beyond such titles, the influences on brand value of NewJeans' members also cannot
be compared to their seniors.
While the outcomes remain vague about the venturing of NewJeans’ into the fashion
world through this move, many hope HYBE and Min Hee Jin will soon realize what is appropriate
for NewJeans at the current time to make the right adjustments and directions.
Of course, the fashion potential of all five members is extremely promising, but if they
continue to force things and wear styles that only look awkward on them, they will soon
be a "fashion disaster," and brands will eventually say goodbye.