How the NewJeans Ambassadorships With Calvin Klein and More Brands Will Be Affected After Court Battle
- K-pop group NewJeans faces legal battle with management agency Ador, leading to a court-ordered halt on independent activities.
Hanni, Hyein, Haerin, Danielle and Minji, members of K-pop group NewJeans , have quickly risen in the fashion world since their debut album was released in 2022. Together, they have ambassadorship deals with Burberry, YSL Beauty, Celine, Calvin Klein, Dior and Gucci, to name a few. Now, the group's commercial activities have been put under the spotlight following the singers' highly publicized court battle against their management agency.
On Friday, a South Korean court ordered NewJeans to stop all "independent" activities, including song releases and advertising deals, after they attempted to split from Ador, a South Korean record label and a subsidiary of Hybe Corp., which is behind K-pop groups like BTS. The injunction said the group's decision to rename itself and break away from the label could "seriously damage" Ador's reputation.
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During the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival on Sunday, NewJeans responded to the news announcing a hiatus. "As strong as we are trying to stay, it is honestly taking a bit of a mental and emotional toll on us," Dani said onstage.
The legal battle started in November, when all members of NewJeans announced they were splitting from Ador. The decision came after months of public disagreement, which began after Ador terminated its contract with creative director Min Hee-jin, who was initially the chief executive officer of Ador and former manager of NewJeans.
K-pop group NewJeans for Calvin Klein 's fall 2024 campaign.
The singers accused the label of alleged mistreatment and workplace harassment. Ador denied the accusations and filed an injunction to enforce the group's contract, which was upheld by a South Korean court. The contract is set to expire in 2029.
In February, NewJeans announced they were changing their name to NJZ, without Ador's permission. That same month, Calvin Klein released its spring 2025 campaign featuring the K-pop act. Unlike what the brand has done in the past, Calvin Klein promoted the campaign using the singers' names instead of the group. Following the campaign's release, Ador asked journalists to still refer to NewJeans by their original name and not NJZ.
"We respectfully ask you to use the official legal group name 'NewJeans' based on a valid contract when writing articles, as we believe you are more aware than anyone of the importance of exclusive contracts in the entertainment industry to cooperate in ensuring accurate reporting," Ador said in an email sent on Feb. 20 to WWD.
What's coming next is still uncertain for NewJeans and their ambassadorship deals. To WWD, Ador said the company will provide "full support as the artists' exclusive agency to ensure the seamless continuation of their brand collaborations and ambassadorships."
As per the court decision, Ador will continue to oversee every advertising contract and all entertainment activities of the group. The agency has also stated that it will work "to promptly resolve any remaining conflict and restore stability as soon as possible."
NewJeans
NewJeans has already challenged the injunction in court and has promised to keep fighting to split from Ador.
"This fight is necessary. Although it will be extremely difficult and arduous, we will keep doing what we have done so far and speak up," Haerin told BBC. "Some people think that we're famous enough to do whatever we want and say whatever we please. But the truth is, it's not like that at all," Hyein said. "We held it in for a long time, and only now have we finally spoken up about what we think, what we feel and the unfairness we've experienced."
Although NewJeans has many individual ambassadorship deals, which are also managed by Ador, Calvin Klein is one of the only brands the singers represent as a group. Calvin Klein did not respond to requests for comment.
Calvin Klein's Spring 2025 Denim Campaign Photos With Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein
Launch Gallery: Calvin Klein's Spring 2025 Denim Campaign Photos With Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin and Hyein
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