{"id":42678,"date":"2026-05-13T03:39:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T03:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/?p=42678"},"modified":"2026-05-13T03:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T03:39:56","slug":"karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/","title":{"rendered":"Karina Named Brand Ambassador for MARK &amp; LONA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MARK &amp; LONA, the luxury golf label under Cube Co., Ltd., has officially appointed Karina, leader of K-pop group aespa, as its new brand ambassador, marking the first time in the brand&#8217;s history that a female has held the role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The announcement, made at a Tokyo press conference on April 27, came with the debut of the campaign &#8220;PLAY ILLUSION,&#8221; a cinematic commercial set across fantastical environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MARK &amp; LONA \u00d7 KARINA\u300ePLAY ILLUSION\u300f\u7de8\uff0815\u79d2\uff09\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/21rkb_ZHmBk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Founded in 2008, MARK &amp; LONA previously partnered with Japanese actor Takuya Kimura as its ambassador in 2018, making Karina a bold new chapter for the brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CEO Tomoaki Matsumura explained that Karina&#8217;s appearance in aespa&#8217;s &#8220;Supernova&#8221; music video was what convinced him, describing it as a &#8220;lightning-like impact.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the Karina side, this is a new vertical in an already stacked brand portfolio. In 2025 alone, she became Nike&#8217;s first Korean celebrity and first female K-pop idol to serve as global brand spokesperson, and was later named ambassador for Chanel Beauty. In January 2026, she collaborated with Prada for Esquire Korea&#8217;s February cover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much like how <a href=\"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/celebrity\/jennie-kim\/endorsements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jennie<\/a> made waves with her <a href=\"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/jennie-teams-up-with-beats-for-onyx-black-solo-4-special-edition-release\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beats x BLACKPINK Onyx collaboration<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/celebrity\/katseye\/endorsements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">KATSEYE<\/a> turned heads with their <a href=\"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/katseye-teams-up-with-gap-on-limited-edition-hoodie-collection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GAP hoodie drop<\/a>, Karina&#8217;s MARK &amp; LONA deal reflects K-pop&#8217;s expanding grip on global lifestyle branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">aespa has previously fronted high-fashion campaigns for brands including Givenchy and Chopard. Karina also teased at the press conference that aespa has a new album on the way and a fan meeting scheduled in Japan in July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The global golf apparel market was valued at over $9.4 billion in 2025, with South Korean consumers historically accounting for 45% of worldwide golf clothing sales, briefly surpassing the U.S. market in apparel spending, though the U.S. currently maintains the largest overall market share by volume in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MARK &amp; LONA is clearly betting on Karina&#8217;s influence to tap directly into that demographic, while broadening its reach globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Takeaways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This deal is a masterclass in audience expansion. MARK &amp; LONA isn&#8217;t just getting a spokesperson, it&#8217;s purchasing a cultural gateway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Karina brings with her one of the most engaged global fanbases in K-pop, a proven track record across luxury fashion, and a personal connection to golf (her family&#8217;s interest in the sport adds an authentic layer that many endorsements lack). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a brand that built its identity disrupting golf&#8217;s stuffy image, appointing K-pop&#8217;s most visible style icon as its first-ever female ambassador is the loudest statement it could make. It signals that MARK &amp; LONA is done playing niche and is going full mainstream, especially in the lucrative South Korean market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Will naming her the first female ambassador shift MARK &amp; LONA&#8217;s customer base toward younger women, and is the brand&#8217;s product line ready for that? With South Korea dominating global golf clothing sales, could this deal make Karina the most commercially powerful K-pop idol in the sportswear space?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MARK &amp; LONA, the luxury golf label under Cube Co., Ltd., has officially appointed Karina, leader of K-pop group aespa, as its new brand ambassador, marking the first time in the brand&#8217;s history that a female has held the role. The announcement, made at a Tokyo press conference on April 27, came with the debut [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,11,20,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-brand-ambassador","category-endorsements","category-k-pop","category-music"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Karina Named Brand Ambassador for MARK &amp; LONA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Karina Named Brand Ambassador for MARK &amp; LONA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"MARK &amp; LONA, the luxury golf label under Cube Co., Ltd., has officially appointed Karina, leader of K-pop group aespa, as its new brand ambassador, marking the first time in the brand&#8217;s history that a female has held the role. 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The announcement, made at a Tokyo press conference on April 27, came with the debut [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/","og_site_name":"Booking Agent Info News","article_published_time":"2026-05-13T03:39:46+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-13T03:39:56+00:00","author":"Timeyin Mammah","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EvergreenWrites","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Timeyin Mammah","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/"},"author":{"name":"Timeyin Mammah","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7f77b56ef3d8294c3f63279ba9ad5ed6"},"headline":"Karina Named Brand Ambassador for MARK &amp; LONA","datePublished":"2026-05-13T03:39:46+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-13T03:39:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/"},"wordCount":496,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Brand Ambassador","Endorsement Deals","K-Pop","Music"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/","url":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/","name":"Karina Named Brand Ambassador for MARK &amp; LONA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-13T03:39:46+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-13T03:39:56+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/karina-named-brand-ambassador-for-mark-lona\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Karina Named Brand Ambassador for MARK &amp; LONA"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/","name":"Booking Agent Info News","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#organization","name":"Booking Agent Info News","url":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/logo-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/logo-2.png","width":396,"height":274,"caption":"Booking Agent Info News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/7f77b56ef3d8294c3f63279ba9ad5ed6","name":"Timeyin Mammah","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bookingagentinfo.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5248b70a412589f5d9580574f841d56dd3a1f83644275960402105a9f8bfa498?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/5248b70a412589f5d9580574f841d56dd3a1f83644275960402105a9f8bfa498?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Timeyin Mammah"},"description":"Timeyin Mammah is a sports and entertainment writer with bylines in The Difference News, The Pointer Newspaper, Business Hallmark, and The Diplomat. 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