On February 8, 2024, the Italian luxury fashion house Versace announced Ningning, a member of the global K-pop girl group Aespa, as its newest Global Brand Ambassador. The big news was first released via Versace’s official Instagram account, with a black-and-white photo of Ningning wearing a leather suit dress with buttons adorned with the label’s iconic Medusa logo.
Before this announcement, Ningning appeared at official Versace events, such as the Versace Icons Dinner in Shanghai in October 2023. Throughout the year, she’s been actively performing her role as one of the brand’s most influential faces, joining award-winning actress Anne Hathaway and fellow idol and ambassador Stray Kids’ Hyunjin in attending the FW24 show in Milan.
Now, Ningning returns to debut Versace’s brand new holiday campaign, leveraging her growing influence in both industries of music and fashion.
Ningning debuts the Resort 25 collection
Known for its lavish designs and signature details, Versace kicks off the holiday season with a new collection that blends high-end fashion and bold elegance.
For the official holiday campaign, Ningning models the brand’s latest it-bag: the Kleio. The Versace Kleio bag was first introduced in the Fall/Winter 2024 campaign, which starred next-gen models Loli Bahia, Vittoria Ceretti, Fernando Lindez, Lee Minseok, and Hedi Ben Tekaya. Ningning perfectly captures the contrast between the Kleio’s soft, pillow-like plushness in quilted leather and the tailored structure of new pieces from the Resort 25 collection, such as a safety pin gathered top and leather straight-fit pants.
As the face of the campaign, Ningning is also pictured wearing accessories that embody the signature Versace style. One standout image captures the top K-pop idol wearing a Dalmatian-print top and a pair of Versace sunglasses, reminiscent of the collection of iconic frame styles offered by optical retailer Sunglass Hut. Similar to the silhouette of VE4474U and the bold detailing of VE44883D, the Versace Medusa Biggie sunglasses worn by Ningning features an oversized low-lens shape and wide temples embellished with the gold-tone Medusa medallion.
Other notable pieces in Versace’s Holiday 2024 collection include the capacious and geometric Protea bag, chain-drop earrings featuring the brand’s initials, and knee-high leather boots specially designed for holiday dressing. Overall, Ningning is the perfect choice for a campaign that depicts the brand’s duality — mixing classic tailoring with playful metallic details while also shifting seamlessly between occasion wear and laid-back looks.
The broader intersection between K-pop and luxury fashion
Ningning’s role as Versace’s global brand ambassador and the face of its recent holiday campaign reflects the broader intersection between K-pop and luxury fashion. As covered in a Nylon article, recent years have seen an influx of top K-pop groups like Blackpink, NewJeans, and NCT partnering with fashion brands like Chanel, YSL, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Loewe and promoting their newest pieces as brand ambassadors.
The luxury fashion sector has tapped into K-pop idols’ ability to generate significant media value and digital impact through the support and loyalty of their global fandoms. While there’s an ongoing debate on whether brand ambassadorships limit K-pop idols’ styling and creative opportunities, the fact remains that fashion brands will continue to work with idols to reach and cater to younger, more diverse audiences.
Ultimately, despite her growing presence in fashion circles, Ningning continues to actively promote as a K-pop idol under Aespa, whose second world tour Synk: Parallel Line remains in progress and has North American and European shows slated for 2025.
