Celebrities such as Namtan, Zeepruk, Jungkook and Syifa Hadju were the force behind Media Impact Value top-earning brands at New York Fashion Week, according to Launchmetrics.
Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Coach dominated Media Impact Value tallies in the most recent edition of New York Fashion Week (NYFW), according to data company Launchmetrics. Overall, the event drummed up staggering $408.2 million in MIV, making the Spring-Summer 2026 season New York Fashion Week’s most successful yet.
Media Impact Value (MIV) is Launchmetrics’ proprietary algorithm, which assigns a monetary value to each post, interaction and media article to measure brand activity impact and marketing performance across channels.
Media voices are king, but social media remains the key channel for fashion content
As per Launchmetrics—the fashion, beauty and lifestyle industries’ favored data provider—media remains a key piece in the Fashion Week puzzle. Media was the strongest voice in the fashion landscape during the NYFW and represented a big percentage of activity across the top channels, including Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. In fact, media voices were responsible for 60% of NYFW’s MIV. Influencers authored 22%, while brands owned media and celebrity voices were tied at 7%.
The activity concentrated on Instagram, where 50% of NYFW-related MIV was generated. TikTok followed suit, accruing 9% of the event’s MIV. Facebook, YouTube and X contributed to a lesser extent.
Launchmetrics’ report highlights the importance of social media usage for media voices in an era of fast-paced content. Their qualitative analysis, for example, reflected that half of the top-performing placements by media at NYFW featured K-pop star Jungkook on his Calvin Klein front row debut. “For brands, this demonstrates the strategic value of high-profile ambassadors, whose presence alone naturally fuels diverse content formats–whether quick-hit TikTok moments, Instagram-worthy entrances or editorial-ready press interactions–maximizing performance across every platform,” the company explained in the report.
Asian voices continue to shape international Fashion Weeks
As has been the pattern in recent years, Asian stars dominated the list of top MIV-generating celebrity voices. Thai celebs Tipnaree Weerawatnodom (Namtan) and Pruk Panich (Zeepruk) took the top spots, accruing $2.1 and $1.5 million in MIV, respectively. The stars, both well-known screen personalities in Thailand, made headline-worthy cameos on the COS front row.
Meanwhile, US reality star and singer Kandi Burruss, also known as Kandi, generated $875K in MIV. Lily Collins, present at the Calvin Klein show, brought in $835K in MIV only through her personal channels. (Collins’ presence, however, prompted echo media worth $8.6 million).
Indonesian actress and Coach front row fixture Syifa Hadju, who enjoyed the spotlight at the Spring-Summer 2026 show, rounded out the top 5, garnering $819K MIV.
While Jungkook drove 53% of Calvin Klein’s total MIV via media coverage and echo mentions worth $30.4 million, the celebrity himself didn’t make it to the top voices ranking, as he does not own social media or post on personal accounts. (The top voice ranking measures the MIV directly generated by individual voices from media, celebrity and influencer realms through their own accounts).
Calvin Klein was NYFW’s indisputable brand winner
As for the brands, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Coach topped the Top 20 Power Player ranking per total MIV. On its second showing under Veronica Leone’s creative direction, Calvin Klein accrued $57.4 million in MIV—more than twice the MIV of Michael Kors, which took second place with $24.1 million.
Calvin Klein largely benefited from the buzz generated by the pop culture icons on its front row. Ambassadors and campaign stars Jungkook, Lily Collins and Rosalía, in particular, drove media attention and echo mentions valued at $30.4, $8.6 and $6.5 million in MIV.
“Jungkook’s impact was particularly major: without posting about Fashion Week himself, Jungkook drove a 53% of Calvin Klein’s overall show performance through viral media coverage and other echo mentions,” shared Launchmetrics. The singer’s performance demonstrated that when ambassadors align with brands strategically, their performance can extend beyond their direct social media performance.
Similarly, brands can largely benefit from promoting content featuring ambassadors on their owned media, as proven by Calvin Klein. The brand’s top-performing placement, worth $836K in MIV, spotlighted Jungkook on his arrival to the show.
The COS case
H&M-owned COS became one of the Spring-Summer 2026 season’s breakthrough brands. Per Launchmetrics, the brand experienced a performance boost from Thailand, thanks to the presence of Namtan and Zeepruk in the front row.
Namtan was, in fact, the overall top voice at the COS SS26 show with 3 placements worth $2.1 million in MIV. One of those placements, which shows her posing on the front row, emerged as the brand’s top placement, generating $883 K in MIV.
Zeepruk, on the other hand, stood out as a celebrity voice, garnering $1.5 million in MIV through 3 placements.
“What boosted COS performance this season was its ability to leverage celebrity impact–ranking first among all NYFW brands for celebrity-driven MIV, its guests played a key role in elevating the brand into the top five,” Launchmetrics shared.
For a deeper dive into the Launchmetrics’ algorithm and data, see the full report here.
