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Article. Park Soomin
Photo Credit. SOURCE MUSIC

LE SSERAFIM promoted “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife” off their first LP, UNFORGIVEN, through a number of challenges. The group did the challenge with other musical artists like WINTER from aespa, NI-KI from ENHYPEN, KEY from SHINee and Sandara Park, but also with people across a range of different professions, including Seunghun, Jaejae, Boom, Kian84, Lee Si Eon and Kwaktube. Including the challenge made easier for participants to follow along, where they only had to use the arms and the upper body in some parts of the chorus, various other types of challenges were offered out there. They even created the open verse challenge where they removed the original vocals and encouraged people to write their own lyrics and sing along. BIBI, rapper CAMO, Mirani, Wonstein, Psick University and UPSAHL were among the many who joined in. Different events, including these challenges, all contributed to “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife” climbing to the top of various music charts, but there’s no overlooking the way LE SSERAFIM put their messages from UNFORGIVEN into practice. As when they ask people to “join my crew” in the track “Fire in the belly,” the group was always looking for them to become a part of their music, performances and message. With lines like, “Come to that faraway land with me,” in “UNFORGIVEN” (feat. Nile Rodgers), they emphasize the bond between the people who listen to their music and themselves, and “Eve, Psyche & The Bluebeard’s wife” seems to have truly brought a wealth of people out to their festival. LE SSERAFIM’s entire promotional period for UNFORGIVEN, including the messages they sent, was undoubtedly done with the explicit goal of reaching out to as many people as possible.

 

Open from April 26 through May 7 in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood of Seoul, LE SSERAFIM 2023 S/S POP UP, the group’s first dedicated pop-up store, set the stage for what the group was setting out to do during their promotion for UNFORGIVEN. Operated by the label and selling a variety of official merchandise, the space served as an encapsulation of who LE SSERAFIM is and the messages they stand for in their music. LE SSERAFIM itself evolved into a diverse collection of products, a space and a brand , attracting over 16,000 visitors during its two weeks in operation to partake in the immersive LE SSERAFIM experience.

“Just like the K-pop industry grows by the day, so too does LE SSERAFIM’s influence,” creative director Nu Kim, with SOURCE MUSIC, said. “With that influence in mind, we made the pop-up to try and allow people to have a sensory experience of the wholesome lifestyle that the group is after.” LE SSERAFIM 2023 S/S POP UP was held in conjunction with the release of their latest album, so fans who visited the store were naturally greeted by UNFORGIVEN in all directions as soon as they stepped through the doors. Once inside, they were treated to a taste of the album, including the reveal of the full track of “Burn the Bridge” prior to the album’s full release, and the LE SSERAFIM Zone, which exhibited actual props from the music videos and the album trailer, all reiterating the album’s messages and themes. The first thing to grab everyone’s attention was the two-story inflatable sculpture in the very center of the store, called Wing, which plays on the burning wings motif present in both the “Burn the Bridge” trailer and the music video for “UNFORGIVEN.” With the “wings and fire,” the “goal was to let people experience the idea of ‘UNFORGIVEN’ directly, which is all about burning up all the preconceived notions and expectations imposed by the outside world and forging your own path,” Baek Yoovin, a representative from SOURCE MUSIC’s Visual Creative Team, explained. The pop-store visually represented the ideas behind the album by bringing the outdoors inside with a video wall surrounded by moss-covered rocks. Jung Donguk, a representative from the HYBE IPX spatial design team, explained how they “drew inspiration from UNFORGIVEN’s burning album cover and shows moss growing under the burning shape” to create the video wall. The interior design of the store benefitted from the moss in other ways as well, adding to “the hope that, whether in darkness or light, LE SSERAFIM’s sincerity and passion can translate into influential vitality,” Kim noted. The pop-up store gave the music and ideas behind UNFORGIVEN a way to escape the confines of the online world and embody the physical one through sculpture and more, giving fans who visited an immersive experience inside the world of the album and LE SSERAFIM’s musical vision.

While UNFORGIVEN’s message and LE SSERAFIM’s core individuality were on display in their music and in the design of the pop-up store, where these things really shone through was in the merchandise. “As this was the first time spatially showcasing the team LE SSERAFIM, choosing the perfect way to convey their identity was key,” Baek said. Kim elaborated, explaining how “LE SSERAFIM is a fearless, progressive group, and athleisurewear was a perfect choice to capture that dynamic image.” The clothing was designed to play on the motif of “LE SSERAFIM as a muse for determination and the image of health.” Everything in the clothing line was given intricate designs as a reflection of LE SSERAFIM’s image, resulting in the same kind of polish people come to expect from fashion brands. Details included one stripe for each of the five group members and zipper pulls in the shape of the group’s logo. Several accessories prominently featured the LE SSERAFIM symbol in a bold show of the group’s brand. “I think the LE SSERAFIM logo, with its message of fearlessness, is a crystal-clear representation of LE SSERAFIM’s identity,” Baek said. The accessories were kept sleek and simple by adopting only the group’s logo. Most notable was the double band ring that fused the LE SSERAFIM and FEARNOT logos together and which became the store’s signature item thanks to “not only its sophisticated design but also for conveying the message behind UNFORGIVEN: solidarity.” All the merchandise was arranged and organized within the pop-up in an intuitive manner. “We approached LE SSERAFIM’s dynamic image from a unique futuristic angle by creating 3D media art that emphasized the dynamics and detailed design of the athleisurewear and bent segments that resemble a robot’s arms,” Byeon Hee Lim, another spatial design team rep, explained. The silver mannequins perfectly captured the overall look and feel of the store, wearing athleisure outfits and accessories together to produce a sophisticated city feel. “Hopefully shoppers will be able to put the clothing and other merch to use and live a healthier life in line with LE SSERAFIM’s message,” Baek said, noting the merchandise’s potential to spread the group’s ideals to every corner of everyday life.
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The pop-up store brought the LE SSERAFIM brand’s lifestyle message—and the music, design and merchandise that accompanies it—under one roof. “I think the whole spirit behind LE SSERAFIM is jumping head first into whatever medium best delivers the group’s message, no matter what that medium happens to be,” Jung Jihea, a member of the SOURCE MUSIC marketing team, said. The pop-up store allowed visitors to experience firsthand the group’s message and attitude of fearlessness and for those values to extend to every part of their lives. The selection of gateaux, all named by the LE SSERAFIM members themselves, serve as a perfect example: BLUEBERRYCHAESE, FEARNOTKKURRA, SWAN ALASKA, MANy CHAEcolates, and MARACON? WHO’D HAVE KNOWN? Produced in collaboration with a famous dessert shop and sold on the first floor of the pop-up store, these desserts turned each member’s unique traits into signature gateaux, like how the SWAN ALASKA symbolized KAZUHA performing ballet. Instead of the typical approach of designing a cake’s appearance to reflect its taste, the gateaux were “daringly” designed “to use only black or white in order to give a sense of unity,” Baek said, adding that the desserts reflected the group’s image with “the twist that, under the chic, sophisticated exteriors were bright, colorful insides.” After taking in everything LE SSERAFIM through everything the store had to offer, visitors could talk about the group and the pop-up store itself while eating dessert on the first floor. Whether listening to music, browsing the merchandise, eating dessert or talking among themselves, everything visitors did had some connection to LE SSERAFIM. In essence, the store proved that the group has the power to influence every aspect of a person’s life.

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“We wanted to let even more people know about LE SSERAFIM’s views and the things they want to say,” Jung explained. By holding the event in Seongsu-dong—a neighborhood that’s already a brand unto itself—and by plastering the whole building in the group’s logo and hanging up a massive banner with KAZUHA on it, the label hoped to “draw people’s attention toward a healthy lifestyle.” LE SSERAFIM “is first and foremost about their own, real-life experiences,” Kim explained. With the release of UNFORGIVEN, the group once again spread their message to listeners through music and fun challenges alike. The pop-up store came at just the right time, demonstrating definitively that LE SSERAFIM’s message resonates with people and has enough influence to affect their lives. In Kim’s words, “We hope LE SSERAFIM will continue to be a positive influence on people’s whole lifestyles, even beyond their music and performances.”