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If, at any given moment, you don’t know the goings-on in the pop-culture zeitgeist, a stroll past the massive Calvin Klein billboard on a bustling corner of East Houston Street in Lower Manhattan may key you in on who’s hot. As of today, that distinction (and iconic slab of advertising space) belongs to Jung Kook, the youngest member of the K-pop megaband BTS. “I know that my fans have been eagerly waiting for this return, and it feels so good to be back in the brand’s iconic denim,” said Jung Kook, who completed his mandatory 18-month service in South Korea’s military in June, in a press statement from Calvin Klein. The 28-year-old musician first appeared in a Calvin Klein campaign (and on the label’s iconic billboard) in 2023. This latest ad spot takes place in New York City, where Jung Kook appears to the tune of a 1997 banger: “Block Rockin’ Beats” by the Chemical Brothers. Per Calvin Klein, the campaign’s choreography is “rooted in movement and performance” akin to Jung Kook’s dynamic stage presence. The collection leans further into the ’90s homage with head-to-toe denim, including in Jung Kook’s preferred all-black color palette. In one image, he poses in a brooding red hallway in a black tee, black jeans, and a leather jacket with a contrasting fur collar; he’s decked out in silver jewelry, from his lips to his wrists. His hair—a classic floppy middle part with a couple of grease-slicked, face-framing strands—rounds out the heartthrob vibe. The brand teased the campaign in a TikTok last week, which prompted innumerable reposts by fan accounts, some of whom reminisced about the musician’s previous collaborations with the brand. Comment sections overflowed with pleas along the lines of “God give me strength, I cannot handle CK Jungkook again” and mentions of his exposed underwear. “The energy on Calvin Klein sets is always incredible, and this shoot was no exception—I am excited to see the campaign out in the world,” Jung Kook said in the press statement. The campaign was shot by fashion photographer Mert Alas, who previously shot Jeremy Allen White’s internet-stopping topless rooftop reverie and poolside smoldering for the brand last year.
