Spring in the Air: Embrace the Vibrancy of the Season with W Magazine's Spring 2025 Collection 🌸

Spring is in the air, and W Magazine invites you to embrace the season with a fresh, bold twist on this lively time of year. The Spring/Summer 2025 collection offers a striking visual experience, a vibrant celebration of the season's arrival, with dynamic photo spreads showcasing key looks of the season. Let the colors and energy of spring come to life as you immerse yourself in these captivating visuals.
This season, it’s the perfect time to look for the subtle signs of spring in our surroundings. Don’t miss out on our exclusive makeup trends spotlighted backstage at the 2025 S/S shows, and keep an eye out for cultural and art events that will enrich your year. From the magical moments captured on the streets of Paris during the couture shows, to the essence of 2025 S/S haute couture, you’ll find it all in this issue.
This month’s cover features BLACKPINK's Lisa, BTS's J-Hope, and actor Gong Yoo, all presenting a powerful and bold presence. In addition, discover other featured stars such as The Boyz’ Sunwoo, (G)I-DLE’s Jeon Soyeon, DAY6’s Young K, The Volunteers, Kim Sejeong, and the cast of The Witch—Park Jin Young & Noh Jung Ui, as well as the stars of the movie The Girl We Loved in Those Days, Jin Young & Dahyun.
Dive into the freshness of Spring with W Vol. 3 and feel the season's vibrant energy!

🎁 Get It Before It’s Gone!

At Louis Vuitton’s 2025 F/W Men’s Collection Show, the finale began in an air of quiet excitement, and J-Hope’s LV Bag echoed throughout the venue. This song was made in collaboration with Pharrell Williams, and it seemed like a fascinating preview of J-Hope’s new solo album to be released soon. Building on the lively finale of the show, J-Hope is about to embark on his first solo world tour to 15 cities around the world. The show will go on, and so will J-Hope’s journey.

<W Korea> You had a photoshoot with W Korea on a rainy afternoon in Paris. Where and what do you do on a slightly cloudy day in Paris?
Paris is truly the city of romance. I love every place in Paris, but my favorite thing to do in Paris is to enjoy a glass of wine at a dining place with people I love while watching raindrops over the window.

You released your new song, LV Bag, at the finale of the Louis Vuitton Show. Everyone was stunned by the unexpected drop of new song. You even collaborated with Pharrell Williams and Don Toliver for that song. How did you come up with this exciting project?
Pharrell contacted me and asked about working on the show music together. He was my idol since my childhood, and he is still my favorite artist. So, I gladly accepted his offer. The official track hasn’t been released yet, but I can feel great anticipation from people. I also discussed the release timing with Pharrell and Don.

Was there any memorable conversation you had while working with the two artists?
Pharrell personally directed me while I was recording, and he told me that my voice had energy. That made me feel proud (laughs). I first met Don at the Louis Vuitton show, and we talked about working together on a great track someday. This song means a lot to me because it talks about my favorite Louis Vuitton bag. I believe a bag completes an outfit. I’m especially instinctively attracted to Louis Vuitton bags since I’ve been seeing them since childhood.

For your first solo world tour, Hope On The Stage, you will start in Seoul on February 28 and travel to 15 cities around the world. How do you feel ahead of this grand journey?
I always have thirst for being on the stage. I have a strong desire to show myself on stage. At this point, I’m fully prepared for everything. Now it’s time to set the stage on fire.

You’ll be performing tracks from your last year’s album, <Hope On The Street Vol.1>, during the tour. I personally think you showed your artistic ambition in <Jack In The Box> while < Hope On The Street Vol.1> felt more like reading the secret diary of Jung Ho-seok.
My music is based on dance, and <Hope On The Street Vol.1> was an album that began from dance. Since I was young, I have always expressed music through dance. I’ve always had a desire to express the vivid energy of music that I felt through dance. I also believe that good music makes people dance. This album was my attempt to incorporate dance into music.

<Hope On The Street Vol.1> is an album about dance, which is the root and beginning of J-Hope. Looking back, are there other things besides dance that have influenced your root?
My dad. When he falls into something, he passionately collects related items. For example, when I was young, our house was filled with DVDs that my dad collected. He also had a hobby of collecting stones, and he is now collecting small figurines. Since I grew up watching him, I naturally learned the joy and importance of creating my own collection.

Is there something that influences you right now?
Since I’m a musician, I’m often inspired by things related to music. Recently, I was fascinated by Grammy Awards-winning album, <Alligator Bites Never Heal >, by Doechii. I’ve watched most of her stage performances and live content. She is my favorite artist these days. I’m also getting heart-racing inspiration from <Chromakopia> tour videos of Tyler, The Creator. These inspirations grew my ambition to make even better albums and performances.

In the last album’s documentary, you mentioned that “I’d feel less anxious if I could just enjoy and dance happily.” Is there anything that holds you steady when you feel anxious or unstable, besides dance?
The expectations and gazes of people watching me keep me steady and calm, no matter the situation. Of course, those people include ARMY. I exist because they exist.

<W Korea> You visited Paris in January for the Louis Vuitton 2025 F/W Men’s Collection. Did you have any free time besides your official schedule?
Gong Yoo I had free time for about a day and a half. The first day was lost due to jet lag. On the next day, I walked around, enjoyed offline shopping, and sat down for a coffee at a nice-looking café. Then, I came across a shop that seemed unique and I went inside. Later, my friend told me that the shop was owned by an international art director who also owns a famous beauty brand. While I was looking around the shop, someone was having small talk and I thought she was the shop owner. It turned out that the person was the art director.

When celebrities attend fashion shows, fans often wait outside and cheer for them. Have you ever wondered, ‘Is there a K-pop musician nearby?’ because of the loud cheer?
Actually, I did think that at first. I thought it would be awkward to go closer and wave at people who weren’t actually there for me. Then, I heard people calling “Gong Yoo,” and I was really glad to hear my name. These days, a lot of foreigners speak Korean fluently. When I first heard “Oppa,” I thought I misheard. Even at previous shows, I’ve felt that quite a few fans came to see me. But this time, the response was on another level.

That’s probably because “Ddakji Man” from Squid Game Season 2 was standing right in front of them. At the Louis Vuitton show held at the Louvre, you made a finger-gun gesture toward your head while walking. It was a rather cute, unlike in the drama.
The reactions were even more intense because it was right after the release of Squid Game Season 2. When you meet a character from a show you enjoyed, it’s both surprising and exciting. As I was greeting people while walking, I suddenly thought I should do something, and that gesture just popped into my mind.

When the Netflix series <The Trunk> was released last November, you did some promotional events with Seo Hyun-jin. Did you get a chance to talk about Squid Game during that time?
I didn’t do separate interviews about Squid Game. During <The Trunk> promotion period, I couldn’t mention Squid Game because it was set to be released in December.

Now, you can talk about Squid Game. Many people have been waiting to hear from you. Have you watched reaction videos or people’s responses on your “Ddakji Man” character?
Well, I didn’t search it on purpose, but I came across the related content on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. There were so many clips about Ddakjji Man. Compliments always make me feel good.

Let’s start from the first episode of Squid Game Season 2. The title of Episode 1 is Bread and Lottery, and the episode was dedicated to your character.
I did play a part in the episode, but the director utilized directing, editing, plotting, and other elements in a smart way. Even though it’s the first episode of a series, it felt like watching a full-length film.

It must be challenging to evaluate your acting objectively, but many viewers would have felt your resolution for the Squid Game series.
My role for episode 1 was to heighten the tension before the story unfolds. As I watched the episode, I thought at least I did my part. In fact, I was relieved that I didn’t mess up that episode. I didn’t have ambitious resolution to blow away the episode. I was also aware that my character was the key player. I was featured in Season 1 as cameo, and I always considered myself an outsider in this series. I thought it was the right position for me. So, even when the show received huge attention and love, I just observed from a distance rather than standing at the center. I found “Ddakji Man” character interesting and playing the character was fun. That’s all.

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