Exo’s Kai Partners With Gucci For An Exclusive Collection
What do you get when you combine K-pop superstar Kai of Exo with… teddy bears?
A special collaboration with Gucci, it seems. Just like the rest of South Korean boyband Exo’s phenomenal fandom, Alessandro Michele saw something in the 26-year-old singer that inspired the creative director to make him the star of a special capsule collection.
Kai was previously part of the spring-summer 2020 Gucci Eyewear campaign alongside Chinese actress NiNi, the Asian ambassador for the Gucci Eyewear line. Kai has also been Gucci’s global ambassador for the past two years, but this collection is extra meaningful as it is named after him.
In a March 2021 interview with Esquire Korea, he said: “This is the first time Gucci has launched a collection with a Korean celebrity. I am incredibly grateful and just as thrilled. It’s not easy to have a collection with your name. It’s a huge opportunity and an act of fortune, so I’m at a loss of words to describe how happy I am that it came to me.”
See also: Song Hye-Kyo Appointed As Fendi’s First Korean Global Ambassador
K-Pop Star Kai Partners With Gucci for Capsule Collection
A look from the Kai x Gucci capsule collection. Gucci
Exo boyband member, Kai, earned the nickname “Human Gucci” after constantly being photographed in Alessandro Michele’s designs for the Italian luxury house. His predilection for the brand was cemented in 2019 when he was names its global ambassador, and Kai is now at the centre of a new Gucci capsule collection, according to an interview the superstar gave with Esquire Korea’s March 2021 issue.
The Kai x Gucci collection marks the first time the brand has launched a capsule named for a Korean celebrity and features a selection of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories adorned with teddy bears wearing blue bow ties.
It’s difficult to imagine Kai’s army of young, female fans not appreciating the combination of their idol and nostalgic childhood feeling of the collection. The campaign for which sees Kai wearing the clothes and accessories around the streets of Seoul, accompanied by a giant teddy bear.
EXO star Kai joins forces with Gucci on a new collab
Joining the likes of Dapper Dan, The North Face, and Ken Scott, EXO member Kai is the latest star to get his own Gucci collab. Coming together with Alessandro Michele to launch a special collection, the line is inspired by the K-pop singer’s penchant for teddy bears.
While the thought of an adult who still craves the company of stuffed toys would be nothing short of a red flag for many, Gucci manages to make it work – embracing the teddy bear motif as part of its signature brand of kitsch-whimsy. In a nod to Kai’s fan-given pet name, these teddy bears crop up throughout the collection on oversized plaid shirts, bucket hats, intarsia knits, and classic tote bags.
Of course, Kai has been part of the Gucci gang for a while as a global ambassador for the last two years, but this collection marks the first time that the Kering-owned label has collabed with a Korean artist. “I am incredibly grateful. It’s not easy to have a collection with your name. It’s a huge opportunity and an act of fortune, so I’m at a loss of words to describe how happy I am that it came to me,” he told Esquire Korea.
Set to drop on the April 15, The Kai x Gucci collection will feature both men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories. And it will no doubt head straight to resell sites as the singer’s behemoth fan base and hypebeast devotees unite to get their fluffy, cuddly fashion fix.