- Gucci has unveiled the second installment of its Beauty and the Bag campaign, centering on Global Brand Ambassador Ningning of aespa and the House's new Paparazzo handbag.
- The campaign was photographed by Mert and Marcus; styling shifts between minimal monochromatic dressing and full GG-patterned ensembles, reinforcing the theme of repetition and obsession around the bag as focal point.
- The Gucci Paparazzo is a softly structured top-handle bag featuring the Web stripe, Horsebit hardware, detachable leather strap, and magnetic closure, crafted in supple leather with gold-toned hardware.
- aespa is set to embark on a world tour this August, lasting through early 2027, and the group released their second album, LEMONADE, on May 29.
Gucci has dropped the second chapter of its Beauty and the Bag campaign and aespa’s Ningning is front and center.
The campaign spotlights the Italian house’s newest silhouette, the Paparazzo handbag, a softly structured top-handle design referencing Gucci’s archival Web stripe and Horsebit hardware.
Shot by Mert and Marcus, Ningning appears across imagery and film in looks that mirror the texture and mood of the bag itself, moving between clean monochromatic outfits and full GG-patterned ensembles.
The campaign’s first chapter featured Kate Moss with the Gucci Borsetto and Emily Ratajkowski with the Gucci Giglio, photographed by Mert and Marcus with video direction by Bardia Zeinali. Ningning’s chapter follows that same visual language, bag as identity, not just accessory.
Gucci named Ningning its Global Brand Ambassador in April 2026. She has worn Gucci on red carpets and in photo shoots and attended the Gucci Primavera fashion show in Milan in February, making the ambassador appointment a natural progression.
Beyond Gucci, Ningning also holds ambassador roles with Versace and ALO Yoga. As part of aespa, she helped the group earn Group of the Year at the 2025 Billboard Women in Music Awards.
Gucci’s K-pop ambassador history runs deep. The house previously tapped Stray Kids’ Lee Know as a Global Brand Ambassador in 2025, and prior to that signed BTS‘s Jin and K-pop’s IU. Fellow aespa member Karina has also had her own moment in luxury fashion, as seen in her Gentle Monster campaign.
aespa kicks off a world tour this August, running through early 2027. Ningning stepping into this Gucci campaign right as the group hits a major career peak is no coincidence.
Takeaways
Ningning fronting the second chapter of Beauty and the Bag, not a supporting role, but the lead, signals where Gucci sees its future consumer.
This isn’t just a K-pop cosign; it’s a deliberate positioning of the Paparazzo bag through one of the most globally watched young artists right now.
With aespa’s LEMONADE album dropping today and a world tour launching in August, Ningning’s cultural moment couldn’t be better timed for Gucci’s campaign rollout.
The fashion house is clearly banking on her audience crossing over into luxury buyers, and given how seamlessly she bridges pop culture and high fashion, it’s a smart bet.
Does Ningning’s starring role in Chapter 2 (vs. Chapter 1’s Western icons Kate Moss and Emily Ratajkowski) signal a deliberate East-West sequencing strategy by Gucci? aespa’s members now each front a major luxury house, what does that say about the group’s collective brand architecture heading into their world tour?
