Kate Moss and ATEEZ’s Seonghwa Front New Isabel Marant Campaign

Isabel Marant’s Spring/Summer 2025 campaign has just been unveiled, and it features Kate Moss, a face intimately connected to the brand’s DNA. Moss, described as a “long-time friend of the house,” embodies the Isabel Marant aesthetic so perfectly that she has, in many ways, become synonymous with the brand’s style over the past few decades. This casting underscores the enduring relationship between the supermodel and the designer, highlighting how Moss remains a muse for Marant.

The campaign’s styling, overseen by Emmanuelle Alt, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, further reinforces the familiar Isabel Marant aesthetic. Alt, another influential figure closely associated with the brand’s style, brings her expertise to the campaign, making this aspect of the release, while certainly stylish, not particularly unexpected.

While Kate Moss’s presence in the Isabel Marant campaign is a predictable and fitting choice, the male lead offers a slight surprise, K-pop star Seonghwa from the boy band Ateez. While the biggest names in K-pop have recently gravitated towards ultra-luxury French brands, rather than a brand known for its “boho-chic” aesthetic like Isabel Marant, Seonghwa’s inclusion is perhaps less shocking than it initially appears. Given the immense global influence of K-pop and its stars, it’s understandable that a label as in tune with contemporary trends as Isabel Marant would feature him in their campaign.

The Isabel Marant campaign, photographed in Paris by Robin Galiegue, prioritises its stars and clothing. Unlike some campaigns that rely heavily on elaborate settings, this one focuses firmly on Moss and Seonghwa, employing clean white backdrops to emphasise their presence and the garments themselves.

The campaign’s aesthetic, much like the pairing of Moss and Seonghwa, evokes a blend of influences from the 1990s and the 2020s. This fusion of eras effectively captures the essence of the Isabel Marant style.

A significant point is that while Kate Moss’s extensive modelling career includes countless campaigns (though her last appearance for Isabel Marant was in Autumn/Winter 2010), this marks Seonghwa’s debut in high-fashion advertising.

The brand’s statement emphasises the campaign’s generational and cultural fusion theme, “This campaign celebrates the passage of time, bringing together a 1990s icon and a 2020s K-pop star. It highlights Isabel Marant’s knack for bridging cultures and eras, crafting a world that resonates with both enduring style and contemporary youth.”

The campaign’s potential impact remains to be seen, especially given Isabel Marant’s recent struggles with sales growth. Reports from last November indicated a 31% drop in sales to wholesale and online retail clients from January to September 2024, following earlier declines in orders for their recent collections. Therefore, the success of this campaign could be crucial for the brand.

A results presentation reviewed by Bloomberg News revealed that Isabel Marant experienced a significant decline in sales. The company’s overall sales figures for the year were down 17% compared to the same period in the previous year, 2023.

The Isabel Marant campaign, with its unexpected pairing of Kate Moss and Seonghwa, underscores the evolving dynamics of the fashion industry. K-pop’s global dominance continues to reshape brand strategies and even established labels like Isabel Marant recognise this cultural phenomenon’s power. This campaign is a compelling example of how fashion embraces new audiences and adapts to the ever-shifting landscape of celebrity influence.

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