The Business of Katseye

Three years ago, six young women—Sophia, Lara, Manon, Daniela, Megan, and Yoonchae—achieved rapid global recognition by participating in the Netflix reality series, The Debut: Dream Academy. They emerged victorious from a pool of 100,000 contestants to form the K-pop group Katseye.

The group's formation was groundbreaking. A collaborative effort between South Korean music giant Hybe and American label Geffen Records, Katseye introduced an innovative cross-market approach. This model blended the rigorous training system characteristic of Korean idol bootcamps with the production standards of Western pop music. Their diverse international backgrounds—members hail from the US, Switzerland, the Philippines, and South Korea—further enhanced their appeal.

Key to establishing Katseye's image was their collaboration with influential figures in the fashion industry. This included creative director Humberto Leon, co-founder of the celebrated concept store Opening Ceremony and former co-designer for Kenzo, as well as stylist Katie Qian, who has worked with artists like Tyla, Conan Gray, Camila Cabello, and Tinashe.

Katseye quickly garnered significant early-career accolades, gracing the covers of publications such as i-D, Teen Vogue, InStyle, Allure, and Nylon. They also achieved chart success and received two Grammy nominations. Major brands like Fendi, Pandora, Lush, and Glossier soon sought partnerships with the group.

In 2024, Katseye made their fashion week debut, attending Coach’s Spring/Summer 2025 show in New York. The following year, they featured in a Gap campaign, dancing in denim to Kelis's 2003 hit “Milkshake.” This advertisement was a remarkable success, reportedly generating eight billion media impressions and over 500 million cross-platform views, making it Gap’s most viral and engaging ad to date. Its widespread acclaim led to it becoming a widely studied case in marketing circles.

Photo: Getty Images

The campaign also translated into tangible sales. Gap reported double-digit growth in its denim category and a 7% year-on-year increase in comparable sales for Q3 2025, partly attributed to their collaborations with Katseye and Puerto Rican rapper Young Miko. Fabiola Torres, Gap’s global CMO, noted in a Vogue Business interview, “The strength of fan communities shows up in the number of people we see coming to our stores after launch—eager not only to shop the product worn by Katseye and Young Miko, but to see how the campaign comes to life in our retail experience.”

When Lush partnered with Katseye in 2025, the beauty and lifestyle brand released a limited-edition purple and yellow star bath bomb, along with six collectible artisan soaps inspired by each member. Kalem Brinkworth, Lush’s head of concepts and collaborations, was astounded by the group's dedicated fanbase. “I’ve never seen anything like it. We’ve obviously had lots of appreciation for other collaborations, but this was the first time we saw that real peak,” Brinkworth stated. Although Lush withdrew from major social media platforms in 2021, they still monitor online activity. Brinkworth added that posts and videos about the Katseye collaboration, shared by other accounts on TikTok and Instagram, garnered over 25 million views.