Italian leather goods brand Tod’s has a brand new ambassador: K-pop star Han Jisung (Han), member of the highly decorated band Stray Kids.
“Recognized as one of the most influential artists of his generation, Han has captivated audiences worldwide through his exceptional talent and dynamic stage presence,” said the brand in a press statement. “With his creativity, positive energy, and global influence, Han embodies the spirit of a new generation while reflecting the timeless values that have defined Tod’s for generations, celebrating a shared vision of contemporary elegance, craftsmanship, and the Italian lifestyle.”
The announcement on June 15, just ahead of Men’s Milan Fashion Week, emphasized Tod’s and Han’s shared vision, anticipating the partnership to further develop over time.
“It is a great honor to join Tod’s as Brand Ambassador. I have long admired the brand’s commitment to Italian craftsmanship, quality, and timeless style,” the rapper, vocalist and producer, said of the association. “Through our upcoming projects, I look forward to experiencing and sharing the authentic Italian lifestyle and values that Tod’s represents.”
Han had the opportunity to experience the Tod’s universe firsthand days later, when he landed in Milan to attend the brand’s Spring 2027 presentation at Villa Necchi Campiglio, an architectural gem on the outskirts of Milan that serves as a house museum. Hosted amidst nature and showcasing Italian masters’ craftsmanship live, the event reunited stars such as Orlando Bloom, German actor Jeff Wilbusch and Egyptian singer Mohamed Ramadan.
With his newly minted association, Han joins his bandmates in individually representing major brands and heritage fashion houses and expanding his influence beyond music realms. The partnership also follows a trend of brands diversifying their marketing strategy and ambassadorship portfolio to reach new audiences.
Anticipating what might become a fruitful and long-standing partnership, this ambassadorship announcement generated a total of $14.8 million in Media Impact Value within a week, according to data monitored between June 15 and 22 by insights company Launchmetrics. The announcement post, an Instagram photo uploaded to Tod’s and Han’s feeds, “generated $757K in MIV and the brand saw an over 16-fold increase in overall performance that same day,” the Lectra-owned company shared with No Manners.
Media Impact Value is a Launchmetrics proprietary machine learning algorithm that assigns monetary value to media activity to measure impact in marketing performance.
