NEW PRADA SENSATION: Prada is adding Karina, the lead member of South Korean girl band Aespa, to its roster of brand ambassadors.
The Italian luxury brand is seen further dipping its toes in the K-pop phenomenon with the appointment of the 24-year-old artist to the role after it named the seven members of South Korean music sensation Enhypen brand ambassadors last year.
Karina attended the Prada men’s fall 2024 show in Milan in January donning one of the viral shift dresses in silk gazar trailing layers of superfine organza from the brand’s spring 2024 womenswear collection.
The South Korean singer and rapper, whose real name is Yu Ji-min, was revealed as a member of the girl group Aespa established by the SM Entertainment agency in 2020 ahead of the release of the band’s debut single, “Black Mamba,” in November that year.
Yu Ji-min, also known as Karina from K-pop girl band Aespa arrives at the Prada fashion show during Milan Men’s Fashion Week for fall 2024.
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The girl band, known for popularizing the metaverse concept and for playing hyperpop music, has garnered local and international fame, releasing its first studio album, titled “Armageddon,” last May, which contains the hit single “Supernova.”
Praised for her several talents, Karina was also cast as a member of South Korean supergroup band Got the Beat, also formed by SM Entertainment in 2022 and composed of seven female artists who already debuted under the agency and had prolific careers as solo artists or as part of other bands.
In the role, Karina joins fellow South Korean artists including actor Kim Tae-ri; singers Jeon So-mi and Sana Minatozaki, the latter a Japanese-born, South Korea-based artist who has been part of the Twice girl band since 2015; singer, songwriter and actor Jaehyun, a member of the NCT boy band, as well as Enhypen.
Other Prada brand ambassadors include Harris Dickinson, Damson Idris, Hunter Schafer, Letitia Wright, Jia Ling and Ma Yili, among others.