Karina of aespa has joined Converse as the newest global face of the brand, with her first campaign arriving this week and spotlighting two silhouettes drawn from opposite ends of a shared lineage: the refined Chuck 70 X and the platform-heavy Run Star Crush. Converse frames the pairing as fusing heritage with experimentation, casting Karina as an artist who moves comfortably between both registers. The relationship is not new. The Suwon-born singer has frequently worn Converse since 2020, helped promote the Chuck 70 De Luxe Wedge, and starred in the brand’s Create Next campaign in early 2024 as Converse Korea’s ambassador before the partnership was elevated to a global one in June.
The Shoes
The Run Star Crush takes the classic Chuck design and grafts a chunky runner sole onto the standard canvas body, with additional collar padding supporting a sturdier lifestyle build. The Chuck 70 X moves in the opposite direction, offering a refined update to the most recognisable silhouette in the company’s catalogue. The Run Star Crush is available now, while the Chuck 70 X releases globally on August 27th following its initial launch in China and Korea.
Why It Works
Converse described its new partner as existing at the intersection of performance, fashion, and contemporary culture, moving effortlessly across aesthetics without being confined to a single identity, which is an accurate assessment of someone who has also been a Prada global ambassador since 2024. Karina put it in her own terms: “Both on stage and off, I love breaking the mold and exploring my individuality through style, and Converse is a natural canvas for that.” The timing works commercially as well as culturally, arriving ahead of aespa’s North American tour and following the group’s Lollapalooza debut and a Billboard 200 Top 10 album.
