- Hyunjin made a special two-hour appearance on June 4, 2026 at the GUESS JEANS Melrose Avenue flagship in West Hollywood to open the "Hyunjin Experience" pop-up, which ran through June 7, 2026.
- The flagship was transformed into a layered experiential environment featuring custom neon signage, a vintage-inspired phone booth installation with a recorded video message system for Hyunjin, a custom campaign photo strip booth, and a claw machine with collectible denim-inspired prizes.
- A citywide out-of-home advertising takeover launched across six prominent billboard placements throughout Los Angeles, anchored by large-format LED campaign visuals on the store's exterior façade at the intersection of Melrose Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard.
- Customers who purchased items during the pop-up received an exclusive Hyunjin shopping bag, a campaign catalog, and a limited-edition keychain, with on-site customization experiences available including laser denim engraving, heat-press applications, and custom patch detailing.
GUESS JEANS turned its Melrose Avenue flagship into a full fan destination when Hyunjin of Stray Kids arrived on June 4, 2026 to kick off the “Hyunjin Experience” pop-up, a four-day immersive activation built around fashion, music, and community.
Fans holding signs and merchandise erupted into cheers upon his arrival, while inside, Hyunjin spent time with GUESS co-founder Paul Marciano and Nicolai Marciano, Chief New Business Development Officer responsible for the GUESS JEANS line’s revival.
Hyunjin arrived in the GUESS JEANS Regular Long Sleeve Denim Shirt in Medium Wash, paired with a White Rib Tank Top and the Relaxed Heritage Jeans in Medium Wash.
Following his departure, the space opened fully to the public through Sunday, with exclusive concession-style merchandise including slim tees, logo vests, caps, bandanas, tattoo stickers, water bottles, hair accessories, and limited-edition packaging. Select items were also made available at the GUESS Beverly Drive store in Beverly Hills.
This pop-up is the live extension of a partnership that began when GUESS named Hyunjin its first Global Brand Ambassador on March 6, 2026, launching an inaugural worldwide campaign built around a “Modern Heritage” concept: classic denim shirts, straight-fit jeans, striped tees, and cargo pants reimagined with a sharper, contemporary edge.
Beyond GUESS, Hyunjin holds brand partnerships with Versace and Cartier, and has built a high-profile relationship with Dior, appearing at their Fall/Winter ’26 show during Paris Fashion Week.
On the music side, Stray Kids released their eighth-anniversary single “별, 빛 (STAY)” on March 25, 2026, with a new full album and world tour confirmed for later in the year.
GUESS has a long history of star-driven campaigns, past faces include Claudia Schiffer, Eva Herzigova, Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, and Camila Cabello.
With Hyunjin, the brand is planting a deliberate flag in K-pop territory. That momentum is broader than one member: Stray Kids’ Felix was named Global Icon and Ambassador for Adidas in March 2026, two members of the same group are now simultaneously fronting major Western fashion campaigns.
Hyunjin first fronted the GUESS Spring/Summer 2026 campaign, items he wore sold out across Korea, Europe, the U.S., and Japan almost immediately after launch.
Takeaways
The “Hyunjin Experience” pop-up isn’t a store event with a celebrity cameo, it’s a fully engineered fan activation, and there’s a meaningful difference.
GUESS didn’t open their flagship and invite Hyunjin; they rebuilt their flagship around him. Phone booths where fans could leave video messages for their favorite artist. A signing wall. Six billboards across Los Angeles. Laser denim customization. Claw machines. This is the brand treating its ambassador’s fanbase as the actual consumer event, not just an audience for one.
That level of investment tells you everything about how seriously GUESS is betting on Hyunjin to carry its next chapter, and how clearly they understand that K-pop fandom doesn’t just follow an artist, it shows up, spends, and documents everything.
With a citywide Los Angeles billboard takeover and a fully transformed flagship store built around one ambassador, does this set a new standard for how Western fashion brands should activate K-pop partnerships going forward? With Stray Kids’ new album and world tour confirmed for later in 2026, could GUESS time a major campaign or capsule drop to align with that momentum?
