{"id":136016,"date":"2025-11-15T07:36:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T07:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/136016\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T07:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T07:36:12","slug":"katseye-is-the-blueprint-for-a-modern-girl-group-this-is-the-mastermind-behind-their-image","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/136016\/","title":{"rendered":"Katseye is the blueprint for a modern girl group. This is the mastermind behind their image"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Two years ago, six young women \u2014 Sophia, Lara, Manon, Daniela, Megan and Yoonchae \u2014 went from relative obscurity to internet fame when the Netflix reality show, \u201cPop Star Academy,\u201d turned them into the now-Grammy-nominated girl group Katseye.\n <\/p>\n

\n As their names were called out in the finale, the newly appointed members \u2014 who beat 120,000 other contestants vying for a spot \u2014 hugged and congratulated each other through sobs, each in matching gray blazer-skirt suits, styled with white shirts, knee-high socks and black shoes \u2014 mimicking the kind of attire worn by South Korean secondary students.\n <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The group is backed by Hybe Corporation, which brought K-pop to a global audience through mega artists like BTS, and Universal Music Group, the world\u2019s largest record company and owner of Geffen Records. Together they sought to create the world\u2019s first mainstream multiracial girl group modeled on the traditional K-pop framework<\/a>, which includes catchy melodies, synchronized dance moves and a strong emphasis on aesthetic appeal.\n <\/p>\n

\n Katseye\u2019s members have since stepped out in many head-turning looks, from the revealing red leather stage outfits worn in August for their Lollapalooza music festival performance, which drew record-breaking crowds, to the glitzy Dolce & Gabbana dresses worn for their MTV VMAs red carpet debut<\/a> a month later. Earlier in the summer, they fronted a viral campaign for Gap<\/a> while dancing in low-rise denim to the 2003 Kelis song \u201cMilkshake.\u201d On other occasions, they\u2019ve dipped into luxury brand archives and worn pieces from the likes of Prada, Hussein Chalayan and early 2000s Balenciaga designed by Nicolas Ghesqui\u00e8re. And as they embark on their first solo tour across North America \u2014 the tickets for which sold out in minutes \u2014 more eye-catching ensembles are sure to feature.\n <\/p>\n

\"Katseye<\/p>\n

\n The creative mastermind behind the band\u2019s image is Humberto Leon, a former fashion entrepreneur and designer. Today, as Katseye\u2019s creative director, Leon styles the members from head to toe, weighing in on every detail from the accessories to hair and makeup. In short, anything to do with their visual image falls under Leon\u2019s purview.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere was this kind of feeling of tomboy meets rebellion,\u201d Leon told CNN over a video call from Los Angeles, as he reflected on Katseye\u2019s first appearance as a group. \u201cThe uniforms added a fun storytelling aspect.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n School uniforms are a popular and recurring trope in pop culture (see a 16-year-old Britney Spears in schoolgirl attire<\/a> in the music video for \u201cBaby One More Time\u201d). Several K-pop girl groups, including Girls\u2019 Generation, Red Velvet and 2NE1, have also previously worn them, as they convey a youthful and fresh image. But Katseye\u2019s look had subtle touches that pushed the common visual motif forward, according to Leon, whose subversive approach to fashion over a decades-long career has often appealed to hip audiences. \u201cWe wanted to differentiate,\u201d he explained, \u201cso all the jackets were actually boys\u2019 blazers.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n K-pop has gained significant mainstream traction over the years, but Katseye (which was trained using the K-pop methodology) is unlike many of the genre\u2019s other bands. The group comprises multiple ethnicities: Sophia is from the Philippines; Yoonchae was born in South Korea; Manon was raised in Switzerland to Swiss-Italian and Ghanian parents; Daniela is Venezuelan-Cuban and Lara is of Indian descent, though both were born and raised in the US; and Megan is from Hawaii, born to a Singaporean-Chinese mother and Swedish-American father. Their songs are also sung almost entirely in English.\n <\/p>\n

\"Katseye<\/p>\n

\n Since Katseye\u2019s official debut in 2024 with the EP \u201cSIS (Soft is Strong)\u201d and the viral breakthrough single \u201cTouch,\u201d which quickly landed on Spotify\u2019s Top Hits playlist, the group has grown into one of pop\u2019s most watched newcomers, adored for its diverse appeal.\n <\/p>\n

\n Leon shares a similarly multicultural upbringing. He currently resides in Eagle Rock, the northeast Los Angeles neighborhood where he was born and raised by a Peruvian father and Chinese mother, to whom he attributes his love of fashion. \u201cMy mom worked in a cafeteria by day, but in the evening, she would work on all these fun things, like selling cowboy hats to people, or in the \u201980s she would sell fur coats at home, almost like the way people sell Tupperware,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cShe always encouraged me to be yourself and to clash, to not need things to be so perfect,\u201d Leon added. \u201cI took to heart a lot of that.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n After working as a visual merchandiser for Gap and Burberry early in his career, Leon made his name in New York in the 2000s \u2014 he co-founded the now-shuttered Opening Ceremony (a once-cult shopping destination with stores in New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo) and was formerly co-designer at Kenzo, a role he jointly held with Carol Lim, with whom he revitalized the label by injecting a youthful, streetwise sensibility that appealed to shoppers.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cOpening Ceremony was the antithesis of everything I had ever done,\u201d said Leon. \u201cIt was about celebrating young designers and going around the world and finding these gems and bringing them to one place and creating almost this town square where people can discover stuff. Some people would buy, some didn\u2019t \u2014 but for us, it didn\u2019t matter. It was about creating a community where people can come together.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Leon is among a wave of fashion insiders who in recent years have made the shift to music and entertainment. Cynthia Oh, for instance, worked in high-end retail for more than two decades before becoming the visual creative director at Hybe and, now, The Black Label \u2014 K-pop super-producer Teddy Park\u2019s company, which represents Blackpink\u2019s Ros\u00e9 among others.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cI\u2019ve always celebrated this idea of bringing culture together,\u201d Leon continued. \u201cAnd so, in many ways, Katseye is just a different version of that.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Leon\u2019s return to Eagle Rock and subsequent decision to launch the Peruvian-Chinese restaurant Chifa, in 2022, was spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. But it also led to his music industry crossover. \u201cOne day, this great punk rock girl group called The Linda Lindas<\/a> came in. I was really inspired by them and said, \u2018I would love to make a music video for you. Let\u2019s do something fun.\u2019\u201d So, Leon worked with the band to create music videos for its 2022 album, \u201cGrowing Up,\u201d which subsequently caught the eye of Hybe chairman Bang Si-hyuk and Interscope Geffen A&M chairman and CEO John Janick.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThey approached me and asked if I would be interested in working on a global girl group,\u201d said Leon. \u201cThe one thing I realized in all my other ventures I had done before is that there was this connection to storytelling and authenticity. When I was able to sum this up for myself, I felt like I could bring that same energy to other things,\u201d he said. \u201cThe restaurant was the first thing that I started outside of fashion \u2014 yet a lot of people tell me it has a similar vibe to Opening Ceremony. It made me realize I was doing the right thing, and that I could bring this feeling to other cultures and artistic work.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\"Katseye<\/p>\n

\n Leon\u2019s first interactions with Katseye involved \u201creally getting to know them.\u201d There have been \u201ccountless\u201d girl groups, he said, rattling off a list of acts preceding them, such as the Spice Girls and Destiny\u2019s Child, so it was crucial to figure out \u201cthe ideologies and virtues that these girls bring\u201d and what made them different. \u201cThe first thing I said to them was, \u2018I want to hear about your background, how you grew up. I know you can dance, you can sing, but let\u2019s hear about what you truly love and are inspired by,\u2019 and with that, we were able to create a story that was genuine,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe talk a lot about silhouettes, we talk about designers, but it goes beyond that. We make sure that their culture is around and that each girl, as a whole, is represented,\u201d Leon continued, noting the bindi worn by Lara as an example. (The bindi \u2014 a decorative mark or sticker worn on the forehead, most commonly by women in Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions \u2014 is often sported by Lara, who has not disclosed her religion but has spoken publicly about using it to reclaim and represent the South Asian identity she was teased for as a child.)\n <\/p>\n

\"Lara<\/p>\n

\"Daniela<\/p>\n

\n That emphasis on representation also extends to Katseye\u2019s music. The band\u2019s latest EP, \u201cBeautiful Chaos,\u201d released in June, marks a bolder chapter, with tracks like \u201cGnarly\u201d and \u201cM.I.A\u201d highlighting each member\u2019s vocal range and increasingly defined personal identities. \u201cGabriela,\u201d the second single in the EP, is \u201cvery different to most of the other songs in that it has a femininity to it,\u201d explained Leon. \u201cDaniela sings the Spanish part of the song. It has this Latin vibe that we wanted to make sure that we capture.\u201d What remains crucial, across both their songs and style, is \u201cthat there is synergy amongst each other,\u201d Leon said.\n <\/p>\n

\n As Katseye\u2019s tour begins, just weeks after the band\u2019s first Grammy nomination, Leon is remaining tightlipped about his stage outfits. \u201cWe like to keep things as a surprise,\u201d he teased, but noted that maintaining a sense of relatability and individuality have remained top priorities.\n <\/p>\n

\n For Leon, Katseye is the living embodiment of girl power for a Gen Z audience that is \u201chungry for authenticity and genuine brands that stand for something, or a voice that they can relate to,\u201d he said. But the group, Leon hopes, isn\u2019t just for young girls, but fans of all genders and ages. \u201cI want people to see themselves in Katseye,\u201d he said. \u201cI want them to be excited that a group like Katseye exists.\u201d\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two years ago, six young women \u2014 Sophia, Lara, Manon, Daniela, Megan and Yoonchae \u2014 went from relative…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":136017,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[156,157,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-136016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}