Rosé Is Levi's Global Ambassador 2026: Inside the Super Bowl Campaign That Made K-Pop History

When BLACKPINK's Rosé appeared in a Levi's commercial during Super Bowl LX on February 9, 2026, she did something no K-pop idol had done before: she claimed the most-watched advertising slot in American television history. The campaign — titled 'Behind Every Original' and directed by Kim Gehrig, the filmmaker behind some of the decade's most culturally precise brand films — marked the launch of a multiyear global partnership between Rosé and Levi Strauss & Co., simultaneously announced as Levi's first Super Bowl commercial in 20 years. The Rosé Levi's global ambassador deal did not merely fill an advertising slot; it announced a new phase in K-pop's relationship with American cultural institutions.

'Behind Every Original' is built around a deliberately counterintuitive creative premise: every figure in the campaign is shown exclusively from the back. The decision is both aesthetic and commercial — the rear view of Levi's jeans carries some of the brand's most recognisable design signals, from the two-horse patch and the red tab to the distinctive curved back pocket stitching. By centering the campaign on that view, Levi's argued that its identity lives not in logos displayed for cameras, but in the construction of garments worn in motion. Kim Gehrig's direction allowed each ambassador's personality and physicality to read through movement alone, with James Brown's 'Get Up Offa That Thing' driving the film forward with the urgency the concept demanded.

Alongside Rosé, the campaign featured Grammy-winning rapper Doechii, NBA champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, filmmaker and DJ Questlove, model Stefanie Giesinger, and a cameo from Disney-Pixar's Woody — the original cowboy in denim. Shot over six days in Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, and London, the production cast real cowboys, construction workers, climbers, and young people to ground the celebrity roster in the everyday originals the campaign celebrates. Custom pieces were created for several participants: Questlove received a bespoke denim jacket, Gilgeous-Alexander wore custom denim gloves, and Rosé's specific Levi's styling was tailored to match her own aesthetic identity rather than applied from a rack.

Rosé's appearance in the Levi's Super Bowl LX spot made her the first K-pop idol ever to star in a Super Bowl commercial — an entry point into American mass media that even the most commercially dominant K-pop acts of the previous decade had not reached. The scale of the moment runs in both directions: Levi's had not run a Super Bowl advertisement in 20 years, making 'Behind Every Original' the vehicle for one of American fashion's most iconic names to re-enter television's most expensive and most-watched advertising context. The pairing of two historic firsts — Levi's return and K-pop's arrival — gave the campaign cultural traction that extended well beyond the broadcast itself.

A dedicated 'Backstory' short film, focused on Rosé's personal creative narrative and her relationship to self-expression, was released in the weeks following the Super Bowl broadcast. Beyond the campaign itself, Levi's confirmed that the multiyear partnership will produce an exclusive Rosé × Levi's product collaboration — a full design collaboration scheduled for release later in 2026. The announcement positions her ambassador role as an active creative partnership rather than a passive endorsement arrangement, distinguishing it from the majority of idol-brand deals operating in the same commercial space.

Rosé's on-camera styling in the 'Behind Every Original' campaign — Levi's Loose Boot cut jeans paired with a Relaxed Fit Trucker jacket — was a studied piece of brand-aligned wardrobe construction. Both pieces sit firmly within Levi's heritage silhouettes, but worn with the ease of a personal wardrobe rather than the rigidity of an advertising outfit. The Levi's creative team customised elements of the look for her specifically, a practice applied across several campaign participants. The result reads as a genuine expression of how Rosé interacts with denim, rather than a costume assembled around the brand's commercial requirements.

The Levi's deal extends Rosé's brand portfolio into a register none of her existing relationships occupy. As a Saint Laurent global ambassador since 2020, a Tiffany & Co. face since 2021, and a Puma ambassador since 2024, her portfolio was anchored in luxury fashion, fine jewellery, and athletic heritage. Levi's reaches into everyday American denim — the furthest point from haute couture in the denim universe — without contradicting the luxury positioning she has spent years building. The breadth is unusual and deliberate: it signals that her audience is not confined to luxury consumers, and that the 'Behind Every Original' platform was built to hold exactly that kind of cross-cultural range.