Photo Credits: Cosmopolitan Korea + Gucci. + Starship Entertainment
The Youngest, Yet Infinite
There’s a certain electricity when Leeseo of IVE steps into the frame — a quiet current that hums louder than words. At just eighteen, she already commands global attention with a poise that defies her age and a charisma that feels carved from the future.
With Cosmopolitan Korea’s March 2026 issue, Leeseo becomes more than a Gen Z style muse — she becomes the lens through which the next era of K-pop femininity is refracted. Styled entirely in Gucci’s latest collection, she embodies elegance as evolution, youth as artistry, and fashion as narrative.
“Leeseo doesn’t wear the moment — she invents it.”
A Star Written in Modern Light
From the moment IVE debuted in 2021, the group established themselves not merely as idols, but as visionaries of modern glamour. Their sound — sleek, confident, kinetic — mirrored their image: immaculate yet daring, delicately balanced between pop precision and emotional boldness.
Leeseo, the youngest member, quickly became one of K-pop’s most fascinating studies in potential. Her duality — wide-eyed curiosity against a backdrop of refined confidence — gave IVE their visual heartbeat.
Across award stages, music videos, and brand collaborations, Leeseo evolved visibly before fans’ eyes: no longer simply the “maknae,” but a force of artistry whose every pose holds purpose. The Cosmopolitan Korea x Gucci collaboration feels like a natural continuation — a storytelling space where Leeseo’s growing identity glimmers through Gucci’s timeless fluidity.
The Campaign: When Seoul Meets Florence
This March 2026 pictorial marries Seoul’s oceanic pop vibrancy with Gucci’s Italian-classic surrealism. Each shot treads the line between romantic mystery and modern edge.
Leeseo lounges against draped silks in smoky ivory tones, framed by golden light — a portrait reminiscent of cinematic stills. In another, a deep forest-green trench paired with crystalized earrings channels a mature sophistication that few artists her age capture so effortlessly.
Gucci’s creative team, known for sculpting the line between vintage narrative and contemporary rebellion, found in Leeseo an ideal muse. “She carries contrast—the spirited spontaneity of a young artist and the composure of old Hollywood,” one stylist noted on set.
Together, the visuals tell a story of transitions: between adolescence and artistry, between pop idol and fashion auteur.
Fashion as Language
K-pop fashion has always been more than wardrobe — it’s choreography in fabric, emotion stitched into design. IVE’s creative direction since debut has anchored around “self-possession” — an unyielding confidence that celebrates individualism while embracing collective strength.
Leeseo’s collaboration with Gucci represents the apex of that philosophy. Through signature silhouettes, structured tailoring, and subtle hints of rebellion (a messy bang over an otherwise classic look, a hint of silver nail detail against silk), she redefines what it means to grow up gracefully inside a global spotlight.
“Her fashion doesn’t imitate Western coolness — it translates global luxury through a distinctly Korean rhythm.”
Each look anchors her youth not as a limitation, but as limitless renewal — a reminder that reinvention isn’t defiance but destiny in K-pop.
Between Stages and Spotlights
It’s easy to forget that Leeseo balances this emerging fashion momentum with a thriving music career. IVE’s 2025 global tour, “After Like: Reimagined,” cemented their reputation as live-performance innovators. Their stage layouts mirrored museum installations — metallic chrome panels, LED waves that breathed with rhythm — placing IVE at the intersection of performance art and spectacle.
Within that, Leeseo’s grace became a visual motif. Her line delivery in “I AM” and “Off the Record” carried a restrained maturity that made viewers lean in. The Gucci pictorial extends that same energy: stillness that holds sound, silence that feels like song.
When asked about balancing both worlds, Leeseo often credits her team and fans — DIVEs — for anchoring her. “Fashion and music are both storytelling,” she once said in an interview. “You learn to speak in color, not just melody.”
And perhaps that’s why every collaboration feels seamless — her ability to convey tone without words.
A Global Conversation
2026 marks a pivotal turn for the global K-pop scene. As third- and fourth-generation idols continue to redefine international artistry, performers like Leeseo stand at the intersection of influence and intent.
Gucci, for its part, has been consciously expanding its dialogue with East Asian creatives. Collaborating with Leeseo signals an understanding of the emotional economy of K-pop — where style and sincerity co-exist in equilibrium.
It isn’t just about brand ambassadorship; it’s about representation. A young Korean artist modeling for one of Italy’s most iconic houses symbolizes a shared era — where heritage meets heartbeat.
For international fans, Leeseo’s presence in Gucci’s orbit feels both aspirational and accessible. Her Gen-Z authenticity makes global luxury feel human — a denim flare paired with mythic confidence, a laugh captured mid-frame that breaks the spell of perfection just enough to make it real.
Visual Identity, Emotional Clarity
Each page of the Cosmopolitan Korea spread carries intent: the contrast of sharp tailoring against soft tones mirrors the tension at the heart of Leeseo’s stardom. She is composed, yet unpredictable; disciplined, yet fluid.
Fashion in this pictorial becomes less costume, more conduit. It externalizes emotion — the meticulous layering of fabrics echoing the layered nature of her personal and artistic evolution.
Leeseo’s Gucci editorial captures that ethos perfectly: fearless classicism, young but infinitely self-aware, quietly carrying the torch for the next wave of icons.
And in that evolution lies the modern K-pop narrative itself. IVE’s ascent has been built upon reinvention — every comeback sharper, every visual language recalibrated. From “Love Dive” to “I AM,” their progression mirrors how idols can dictate the aesthetic pulse of an era while retaining their sense of play.
“Fashion and music are both storytelling—you learn to speak in color, not just melody.”
Beyond Trend, Toward Timelessness
Leeseo’s impact isn’t limited to surface. Her rise epitomizes a deeper cultural pattern — the blending of creative industries that once existed in parallel. Music, fashion, and digital identity now overlap so fluidly that stars like her move seamlessly through hybrid roles: performer, storyteller, muse.
In 2026, as fashion houses embrace avatars, NFT collections, and AI couture, Leeseo remains refreshingly human. Her allure lies in imperfection — the way a strand of hair falls out of place or her expression softens mid-laugh. Gucci’s lens honors that humanity, framing her youth as emblematic of universal emotion.
In the end, this photoshoot isn’t just a pictorial; it’s a declaration of future direction—for Gucci, for IVE, and for K-pop itself.
Because every generation needs an icon who doesn’t merely pose but articulates the feeling of now.
“She carries contrast—the spirited spontaneity of a young artist and the composure of old Hollywood.”
The Production Team
Digital Editor 송운하
Feature Editor 천일홍
Photographer 윤지용
Hair 하린 by 위위
Makeup 윤소정 by 위위
Nail 최지숙
Stylist 임진
Set Stylist 전수인
Art Designer 변은지
Assistant 임정현, 조영희, 이예은
Digital Editor Song Un-ha
Feature Editor Cheon Il-hong
Photographer Yoon Ji-yong
Hair Harin (by Wiwi)
Makeup Yoon So-jung (by Wiwi)
Nail Choi Ji-suk
Stylist Lim Jin
Set Stylist Jeon Su-in
Art Designer Byun Eun-ji
Assistant Lim Jeong-hyun, Jo Young-hee, Lee Ye-eun