Prada Scores Endorsement With K-pop girl group aespa’s Karina 

Italian luxury label Prada has trod a familiar path; securing an endorsement deal with K-pop girl group aespa’s leader Karina.   

The deal, which was announced last week, sees the 24-year-old idol as the latest K-pop star to become Prada’s ambassador. 

Following the deal, Prada released a set of images with Karina in the brand’s outfits on social media and stated,  “We are pleased to announce Karina, the South Korean singer and leader of K-pop group aespa, as Prada’s brand ambassador.”

Karina added, “I’ve always loved and frequently shopped at Prada, so I’m excited to be an ambassador. I look forward to sharing many different and positive aspects with Prada in the future, so stay tuned.”  

Hints of the deal was already on the cards earlier this year as Karina attended Prada’s 2024 Fall/Winter Menswear Fashion Show in Milan, and she is also poised to grace the luxury label’s 2025 Spring/Summer Show on September 19.

The endorsement is pivotal as it reflects aespa’s growing influence as fashion icons, with the quartet all as endorsers of major luxury fashion houses.  

According to ASN data, Prada (1.4%, US$4.7m+) is the 9^th highest spender for the non-sport apparel category since Q421 in the Asian sponsorship market, and has a quarterly average investment of US$442k+ during this period. The forecast for Q324 is also rosy, with a much anticipated investment of US$624k, an almost 41.1% rise in the average quarterly investment. As for the nature of the deals, the brand tends to focus on celebrity endorsements in the entertainment world in the US$200k range, with the exception being a US$1m deal with the China’s  National Women’s Football Team.