Giselle Is aespa's Determined Vibe-Setter

With that in mind, GISELLE's digital designs for PAPER and The Dematerialised speak to her love of mix-and-match versatility and making a statement. In her own words, her digi-denim skirt is "iconic."

Related | Bask in aespa's Digital Glow

Growing up in Tokyo, the nexus of street style, GISELLE was drawn to the arts. She was part of a competitive choir ensemble, and, while attending international school in the city, she pursued more creative mediums. She learned to play the guitar and started doodling. It isn’t that things necessarily come easy to her, but once she sets her mind on something, there's no stopping her. She's determined and headstrong. She speaks three languages fluently — Korean, Japanese and English, a testament to her mixed cultural identity (her mother is Korean and her father is Japanese) — and she's often the bridge between aespa and global MYs.

She often describes her role within the group as the one responsible for the vibes. There's an ease to the way she communicates with everyone; vibrant and effortlessly funny, GISELLE isn't one for personas and fake niceties. She's genuine. (Her high school yearbook quote was "that's hot," a nod to Paris Hilton.) She likes anime, collecting figurines and listening to emo music, and lately she's been embracing the girly grunge aesthetics of early-aughts fashion.

And she shares all of this with her fans, including her biggest stan: æ-GISELLE. Below, GISELLE and her æ talk about designing digital fashion and manifesting Kwangya's first Fashion Week in the metaverse.

æ-GISELLE: I want to wear the denim skirt every day. It is so fierce.

GISELLE: I knew you’d love it. I agree, it looks so good on the PAPER cover. Do you love the necklace too?

æ-GISELLE: I mean, how could I not love it!? You always look so good in a chunky necklace — from Paris Fashion Week to the "Dreams Come True" music video. You never disappoint. What was your favorite part of the design process?

GISELLE: Each of us has such a unique sense of style, and PAPER and The Dematerialised let each of us tap into our personal fashion sense for this project. I think WINTER looks so adorable on her covers, and my denim skirt and necklace combo is iconic. I will definitely be using the filter on TikTok and Instagram to wear this skirt more than once. I hope MYs do, too.

æ-GISELLE: Should we have a fashion show in the metaverse sometime? I know the other æs would love that.

GISELLE: That would be so much fun! And as a guest, naevis and our æ-pets can sit in the front row. KWANGYA Fashion Week here we come!

æ-GISELLE: Can we please? Okay okay, enough about fashion. Can we chat a bit about music? What are you most looking forward to this year?

GISELLE: We’ve been working so hard and have some amazing things planned for our MYs. Our concerts over the weekend were so much fun and I am really looking forward to seeing all of our New York City MYs at Gov Ball in June.

æ-GISELLE: Seeing our fans in person has got to be the most rewarding part of all of this. Is there anything you’d like to tell our MYs before we wrap our interview?

GISELLE: I know you all are waiting so patiently for new music and we promise we will have more to share soon. Know that all of your support means so much to us, and we can’t wait to see you all wearing our PAPER looks and accessories online. See you soon.

Warner Records’ first K-pop act aespa, PAPER, The Dematerialised, SM Entertainment and Warner Music Group have released their digital capsule collection, alongside the unveiling of their first PAPER cover. The collection is available at TheDematerialised.com. The digital capsule collection co-designed by aespa, PAPER and The Dematerialised includes three tiers of products. Items from the digital capsule collection are available for purchase via credit card or cryptocurrency payments.

The most exclusive pieces from the collection are four, one-of-a-kind æ-fits. Each æ-fit is designed around the members of aespa — KARINA, WINTER, GISELLE and NINGNING — and worn by each member on the five PAPER covers rolling out this week. Each æ-fit comes with a ticket to an aespa concert, exclusive PAPER digital cover, bespoke virtual dressings inclusive of an AR filter and additional perks from DMAT. There is only one of each design and four designs in total, each priced at 2,000 EUR.

The next tier of the virtual collection consists of four æ-accessories. Created around each aespa members’ signature symbols, the individual æ-accessories are an anti-gravity collection of powerful bijouterie. All æ-accessories come with an AR filter to wear the piece, an exclusive PAPER digital cover and additional perks from DMAT. There is a supply of 200 for each accessory and each is priced at 100 EUR.

The widest available component to the digital capsule collection are unique generative æ-pets. Inspired by the first alien featured in the 1998 “Dreams Come True” music video by S.E.S. and reimagined by aespa, each æ-pet is uniquely generated by AI algorithm. Owners of the æ-pets can use them as a profile picture, play with their unique filter on TikTok and Instagram, and share their special powers online. These one-of-a-kind friends are here to make your metaverse journey extra mægical. There are 10,000 unique generative æ-pets, each priced at 25 EUR.

The project is minted on the Polygon blockchain, a leading carbon-neutral Layer-2 Ethereum scaling platform. Polygon’s tools ensure that aespa, PAPER and The Dematerialised’s digital capsule collection is as sustainable, inclusive, and accessible as possible. More information on Polygon’s sustainability efforts, including their carbon-negative footprint, can be found here.

Photography: Mok Jungwook
Style and visual direction: Kim Wook
Makeup: Jo Eun Bee
Hair: Yoon Seo Ha

Digital capsule collection production: The Dematerialised
DEMAT founders: Marjorie Hernandez and Karinna Grant
CGI and cover design: William Stapel
Garments and æ-pet design: Carola Dixon
Garment design: Jiyoon Myung and Joyxxi
3D accessories and AR: Romain Gauthier
AR: Schirin Negahbani
Head of production: Veselina Tsankova
Product manager: Alexandra Ilg
Head of partnerships: Gila Bonakdar
Head of marketing: Ann-Britt Dittmar

Editor-in-chief: Justin Moran

aespa management: Choi Seongwoo, Park Sungjun
aespa creative direction: Park Junyoung, Kim Hyunwoo, Mo Nari, Jo Woocheol, Son Saerom and Kim Wook
aespa IP business management: Park Seolah, Chun Jihong and Gil Minhyeong