- Chanel released two campaign films on August 6, 2026, starring Jung Kook and centered on "1957," a fragrance from its Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection, alongside a newly introduced 1957 L'Extrait de Parfum.
- The films pair personal reflection ("Jung Kook Meets 1957") with a conversation between Jung Kook and Chanel in-house perfumer Olivier Polge breaking down the scent's musk, bergamot, iris and cedar composition.
- The "1957" fragrance reportedly sold out across multiple retailers within hours of the campaign's release.
- This is Jung Kook's first major project since being named Chanel's Global Ambassador for Fragrance & Beauty in December 2025.
BTS’ Jung Kook has kicked off his first major project as Chanel Beauty’s Global Ambassador for Fragrance & Beauty, a title he’s held since December 2025.
On August 6, 2026, the house released two campaign films spotlighting “1957,” one of its Les Exclusifs de Chanel fragrances, alongside a newly introduced 1957 L’Extrait de Parfum.
The first film, “Jung Kook Meets 1957,” follows the singer reflecting on milestones in his career and naming “Seven,” his 2023 solo single, as the song that best captures the fragrance’s spirit.
The second, “Let’s Talk Parfum,” pairs him with Chanel’s perfumer, Olivier Polge, to unpack 1957’s composition: white musk layered with bergamot, neroli, iris, and cedar.
The scent takes its name from the year Gabrielle Chanel received the Neiman Marcus Award in Dallas, a milestone in the house’s relationship with America.
Within hours, “1957” reportedly sold out across multiple retailers, underscoring the pull Jung Kook carries with Chanel’s global audience.
The campaign extends a fast-growing endorsement slate. Jung Kook has also fronted Calvin Klein since March 2023 and became Hublot’s Global Brand Ambassador in February 2026, joining a roster that includes Usain Bolt and Novak Djokovic.
Chanel, meanwhile, has leaned hard on star power to move its 2026 fragrance and accessories slate. In March, Margot Robbie and Kylie Minogue fronted a Chanel 25 handbag campaign built around Minogue’s 2002 “Come Into My World” video.
In May, Jacob Elordi took over Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif with a heist-themed film directed by Alfonso Cuarón. And in July, Gracie Abrams was named the face of the new Coco Mademoiselle Crush Absolu, a line once carried by Keira Knightley.
Takeaways
Chanel isn’t just borrowing Jung Kook’s fame for a single drop, it’s building him into the house’s fragrance identity, following his December 2025 ambassadorship with a campaign centered on one of its most storied Les Exclusifs scents. That’s a deliberate long-game move, not a quick cash-in.
It’s also part of a bigger pattern: Chanel has now run four major star-led campaigns in five months (Robbie/Minogue, Elordi, Abrams, Jung Kook), spanning bags, men’s fragrance, and women’s fragrance. The house is clearly treating celebrity casting as core brand strategy in 2026, not a seasonal add-on.
As Chanel rotates through Robbie, Elordi, Abrams, and now Jung Kook, is star power starting to define the house’s identity more than any single fragrance does? Could 1957’s cross-generational, America-linked backstory help it break out with a younger audience the way Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif is aiming to with Elordi?
