The second chapter of the series explores desire, identity, and Gucci’s evolving handbag universe through the aespa star
Gucci has unveiled the second installment of its Beauty and the Bag campaign series, this time centering on Global Brand Ambassador NINGNING of aespa and the House’s new Paparazzo handbag.
Following the campaign’s first chapter featuring Kate Moss with the Gucci Borsetto and Emily Ratajkowski with the Gucci Giglio, the latest imagery continues Gucci’s exploration of the emotional and aesthetic relationship between luxury accessories and personal identity. Photographed by Mert and Marcus, the campaign presents handbags not simply as objects, but as defining elements that gradually shape an entire visual world around them.
Throughout the images and accompanying film, NINGNING appears in Gucci looks that mirror the materiality, texture, and mood of the Paparazzo bag itself. Styling shifts between minimal monochromatic dressing and full GG-patterned ensembles, reinforcing the campaign’s central idea of repetition and obsession — where the bag becomes the focal point through which everything else is interpreted.
At the center of the campaign is the Gucci Paparazzo, a softly structured top-handle silhouette designed to balance ease with recognizability. Crafted in supple leather, the bag incorporates archival Gucci codes including the Web stripe and Horsebit hardware, both longstanding references to the House’s equestrian heritage dating back to the late 1940s.
Functional details include a detachable leather strap, magnetic closure, snap-button gussets, and gold-toned hardware finished with a “Made in Italy by Gucci” leather tag. The design positions the Paparazzo as a versatile day-to-evening style while reinforcing Gucci’s continued emphasis on heritage signifiers as markers of continuity across evolving collections.
For Gucci, NINGNING’s involvement reflects the House’s growing alignment with younger global audiences and contemporary pop culture figures whose influence extends across music, fashion, and digital identity. Her appearance in the campaign further expands Gucci’s ongoing relationship with the Korean entertainment sphere, which continues to play an increasingly central role in luxury fashion’s global communication strategies.
