Why An Yujin's Vogue Korea x Lacoste Shoot Matters

When Vogue Korea unveiled its latest digital cover on March 25, 2026, it wasn't just another celebrity photoshoot. An Yujin, the 22-year-old leader of K-pop powerhouse IVE, stood front and center in Lacoste's 2026 Spring/Summer runway collection — and the editorial said as much about where she is in her career as it did about the brand.

The cover, set against a backdrop of pastel-colored lockers that evoke a sun-drenched tennis club, captures An Yujin in oversized suits layered over striped tops, polo sweaters, and relaxed shorts — all pulled from Lacoste's latest lineup. The concept leans fully into the French label's founding identity as a sportswear pioneer, while An Yujin's effortless presence gives it a distinctly modern edge. It is, by any measure, a statement shoot.

An Yujin and Lacoste: A Partnership Built for the Long Game

An Yujin was officially named Lacoste's Korean brand ambassador in April 2025, a role she debuted with a turn on the runway at Lacoste's Fall/Winter 2025 show at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris. That moment — a K-pop idol standing in the spiritual home of French tennis — was striking in its symbolism: two worlds of performance culture, united through a shared language of style and precision.

Lacoste's official statement when they announced An Yujin as ambassador described her "distinct presence in the K-pop industry" as perfectly aligned with the brand's "sophisticated yet contemporary style." They highlighted her "vibrant energy and effortless sense of style" as characteristic of someone "redefining the fashion codes of her generation."

An Yujin responded with equal enthusiasm. "As a K-pop artist, I constantly seek new challenges in style and performance, much like how René Lacoste changed sportswear," she said at the time. "I'm thrilled to work with Lacoste and introduce its timeless elegance to both Korean and global audiences."

For Lacoste, the partnership reflects a broader and intentional shift in how the 90-year-old French brand is positioning itself in the Asian market. The label has been deliberately cultivating K-wave ambassadors — EXO's Kai was named Korean brand ambassador in February 2026, and the brand's "Play Big" Asia campaign has drawn in figures like Jeon Somi and Chinese actor Wang Yi Bo. What each of these ambassadors shares is not just popularity, but a specific kind of cultural authority: they are artists whose influence moves fluidly between music, fashion, and global trendsetting.

Inside the Shoot: Tennis-Court Chic, Reimagined

The 2026 Spring/Summer collection featured in the Vogue Korea editorial is a direct reinterpretation of Lacoste's most enduring aesthetic — the "tennis mood." Founded in 1933 by world No. 1 tennis champion René Lacoste, the brand built its identity on the idea that elegance and athleticism were not opposing forces. The iconic L.12.12 polo shirt, which Lacoste introduced to the court, was one of the first times a brand logo appeared on the outside of clothing. That heritage runs through every piece in the 2026 S/S lineup.

In the Vogue Korea shoot, An Yujin wears that history lightly. The styling pairs oversized structured suits with layered striped tops, creating what the editorial describes as a "trendy yet sophisticated atmosphere." The polo sweaters and tennis shorts carry the collection's sporting roots while the proportions and layering translate them into something current and wearable off the court. An Yujin moves through the looks with the ease of someone who has spent years performing on massive stages — fully present, never stiff.

The locker room setting is a deliberate choice: it grounds the high-fashion editorial in a tactile, athletic world that feels lived-in rather than aspirational at a distance. Combined with An Yujin's 173-centimeter frame and precise, unhurried posture, the result is a shoot that balances the brand's French elegance with something warmer and more immediate.

A Fashion Career Built Alongside the Music

What makes An Yujin's Lacoste campaign particularly notable is that it did not arrive in a vacuum. She has been building a serious fashion portfolio alongside her music career for years — one that reflects her own evolving sense of identity as much as it does the brands she represents.

She was appointed a Fendi ambassador in January 2023, making her one of the youngest people in the role at the time, and has fronted campaigns for the Italian house's iconic Peekaboo bag in multiple seasons since. This March, she covered Marie Claire Korea in collaboration with Tom Ford Beauty — a shoot styled in cinematic Tom Ford couture that was described by the production team as a showcase of her ability to "become the story" rather than simply wear clothing.

The Vogue Korea cover for Lacoste arrives just a week after that Marie Claire shoot, positioning An Yujin as one of the most in-demand faces in Korean fashion right now. At 22, she is simultaneously the leader of one of the biggest K-pop groups in the world, a six-time MC of SBS Gayo Daejeon — a record for any performer in that role — and a regular presence on the front rows of global fashion weeks.

That breadth of career is, increasingly, what the fashion industry wants from its K-pop ambassadors. Labels are not simply looking for reach; they are looking for figures whose cultural presence feels multi-dimensional and durable. An Yujin fits that profile precisely.

The IVE Backdrop: A Group at the Height of Its Powers

An Yujin's fashion work takes on additional weight when set against IVE's current trajectory as a group. Just weeks before the Vogue Korea cover dropped, IVE made K-pop history with their February 2026 comeback.

Their pre-release single "BANG BANG" achieved a Perfect All-Kill on February 24, 2026 — IVE's sixth career PAK, making them the first girl group in K-pop history to achieve PAKs with six different songs. Only IU and BIGBANG have matched that number in any genre. The group also holds the record for reaching six PAKs faster than any artist in history. Their second studio album REVIVE+, which followed on February 23, hit No. 1 across all five major domestic streaming platforms simultaneously on release day, with every track charting on Melon's HOT100.

"BANG BANG" held the No. 1 spot on Melon's weekly chart for three consecutive weeks and topped Genie and Bugs weekly charts for four consecutive weeks. Internationally, REVIVE+ reached No. 3 on Billboard's World Albums chart. The group's world tour "SHOW WHAT I AM," which launched in October 2025 at Seoul's KSPO DOME, has now reached over 420,000 fans across 19 countries, with a North America leg announced for summer 2026.

For a brand like Lacoste — which is actively trying to deepen its footprint in Asia and among younger global audiences — having An Yujin as the face of its 2026 S/S collection at this particular moment is not a coincidence. She is, right now, at the intersection of every cultural conversation the brand wants to be part of.

The Vogue Korea digital cover will be available across Vogue Korea's digital platforms. For DIVE — IVE's fandom — the timing of the editorial, arriving just as the group's latest era reaches full momentum, feels like one more signal that An Yujin's story is still very much in its opening chapters.