애슬레저 시장의 새로운 격전지: 고윤정과 전지현, ‘얼굴’로 쓴 브랜드 전략서 > K-wave Trends

Go Yun-jung, selected by Jex Mix, is currently the most influential ‘wannabe icon’ for the 2030 generation. Her image, which has secured a solid fandom throughout Asia through various OTT platforms, perfectly meets the brand goals of ‘stylish performance’ and ‘wellness life’ pursued by Jexi Mix. Through Go Yoon-jeong's confident and energetic charm, Xeximix is ​​strongly expressing its intention to go beyond the existing perception of being a leggings specialty brand and diversify its business areas into running, golf, and men's wear. This is interpreted as part of a company-wide strategy to firmly target young and trendy consumers by building a brand image that is constantly changing rather than stagnant.

This aggressive move by Xeximix is ​​in line with the recent notable growth in overseas performance. For Seximix, which has achieved record sales growth in Asian markets such as Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia, Go Yoon-jeong, who has high global recognition, is an ideal strategic card. There are high expectations that its value as a ‘global ambassador’ that can immediately absorb local fandom into the brand will go beyond simply raising domestic awareness and lead to substantial expansion of overseas sales. In fact, Jexi Mix is launching a campaign with the slogan ‘Don’t define yourself by just one thing’, led by Go Yoon-jeong, and is laying the foundation to further solidify the brand’s position in the global market.

On the other hand, Andar is taking a differentiated path through an unrivaled premium card called Jeon Ji-hyun. As a symbol of thorough self-management and elegant health, Ji-Hyun Jeon plays a decisive role in increasing the brand's credibility among loyal customers in their 30s and 40s with high purchasing power. Based on this premium image, Andar emphasizes high-quality fabrics and differentiated designs, solidifying its position as a ‘high-quality lifestyle partner’ rather than a brand that simply follows trends. This reflects Andarman's management philosophy of pursuing substantial growth by upgrading the brand identity, increasing the price per customer, and improving the actual operating profit ratio.

This model competition in the athleisure market is not simply a marketing attempt to take advantage of the popularity of stars, but is a clear indicator of the growth stage and goal orientation of companies. While Andar maximized profitability through a premium strategy and tightly secured loyal customers, Xeximix chose a strategy of accelerating its territorial expansion into overseas markets through the young and dynamic energy of Go Yoon-jeong. In this way, the models chosen by the two brands symbolize the future growth engines that each company dreams of. Now, the athleisure market has gone beyond the basics of functionality and has become a fierce ‘lifestyle battlefield’ where people fight over what kind of lifestyle to suggest to customers.

Meanwhile, attempts to rebuild brand image using actors across all distribution channels are becoming more active. Different industries are also working on adding a ‘model narrative’ to their brands, such as Donga Otsuka conveying the value of ‘vitality’ to the young generation through actress Kang Mina, or OB Beer selecting actress Baek Hyun-jin to emphasize the familiarity of non-alcoholic beverages. Go Yoon-jeong also shares her natural appearance in everyday life and her exercise lifestyle through SNS, allowing the public to naturally embody the values ​​pursued by the brand in their daily lives. The organic combination of this model and brand provides consumers with a stronger brand experience and serves as a key driving force in strengthening influence in the market.