As a member of the biggest band on the planet, BTS’s Jung Kook has performed for a collective audience of millions. But there’s one thing he hasn’t done, until now: appear on the most famous billboard on earth. For that, he had to become the global ambassador, and newest face, of Calvin Klein’s denim and underwear lines. How did this latest accomplishment compare to singing and dancing in front of tens of thousands of people at a time? “I think I’m more nervous about seeing myself on a billboard,” Jung Kook tells GQ via email.
The singer joins Michael B. Jordan, Kendall Jenner, Blackpink’s Jennie, FKA Twigs, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson to star in the American megabrand’s spring campaign. But unlike Creed III actor-director MBJ, who recently told GQ that his buddies (jokingly) gave him a hard time over seeing his smoldering shirtless shots all over their Instagram feeds, Jung Kook says his friends have been supportive.
“They actually liked it,” he says. It has also gone over well with the world’s most powerful fanbase. “I was happy to hear that,” he says, referring to his friends co-signing the campaign, “but I couldn’t be happier that our ARMY loves it!”
Ever since BTS went on musical hiatus late last year, members of the band have been racking up brand endorsements of their own. Jung Kook was just the first of two BTS members to star in a huge brand deal in the last week; the day after his CK announcement, the Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta released their spring campaign starring his bandmate RM. Six of BTS’s seven members have landed major fashion partnerships since the start of 2023 alone: Suga for Valentino, Jimin for Dior and Tiffany & Co., J-Hope for Louis Vuitton, V for Celine, and now, Jung Kook for Calvin Klein and RM for Bottega Veneta. News of a massive campaign starring singer Jin could arrive any day now.