In May of this year, British high jewelry brand GRAFF Global Retail Director and Chairman of Asia Arnaud Bastien, in an exclusive interview with Luxe.CO, candidly pointed out the real challenge facing the brand: in many people's minds, GRAFF belongs only to the hallowed halls of "high jewelry" and seems out of reach.
For a long time, GRAFF maintained a mysterious aura in the minds of Chinese consumers. But over the past two years, the brand has proactively lifted this veil, engaging more actively with users through large-scale public exhibitions such as the 65th anniversary touring exhibition and the Butterfly collection jewelry exhibition.
Recently, targeting a broader young generation of consumers, the brand has taken another step forward—GRAFF announced that Jung Kook of the international pop music group BTS has officially become its global brand ambassador. In the announcement campaign, he showcases the brand's first gender-neutral jewelry collection—the new Laurence Graff Signature collection.
Jung Kook is the only Asian artist to have performed at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and his solo singles have long topped charts in Europe and the US, with multiple singles ranking high on the Billboard charts. FIFA has stated that BTS will also perform at the halftime show of this year's World Cup final in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
In people's traditional perception, GRAFF is the "king of famous diamonds," a family business that insists on an elegant "slow" pace. So what is the reason behind such a sudden announcement by the brand?
Why Him as GRAFF's First Global Brand Ambassador?
If we compare the growth trajectories of GRAFF and Jung Kook, we find they share the same keyword: versatility and multifaceted talent.
When living in London's East End in his early years, GRAFF founder Laurence Graff OBE often observed how businessmen seized opportunities at different times. He said: "That experience taught me to always keep my eyes and ears open, so I can see the light at any moment."
Guided by this open mindset, GRAFF continues to explore different themes such as butterflies, flowers, and bridal, blending materials like colored diamonds, yellow gold, and white gold, and experimenting with styles ranging from natural and gender-neutral to abstract art, while extending its product lines from jewelry to watches and fragrances.
Since his debut, Jung Kook has also continuously expanded his artistic boundaries, venturing into songwriting, composing, choreography, and even personally participating in MV shoots. GRAFF CEO François Graff commented: "Jung Kook is one of the representatives of modern pop culture, beloved for his multifaceted talents."
The significance of a luxury brand appointing a global-level brand ambassador is self-evident. But GRAFF's move also raises a classic question worth pondering for the industry: What kind of brand ambassador does a luxury brand really need?
To answer this question, we must first look at the profound changes taking place in the global luxury market:
The power of consumption generations is shifting—Bain previously predicted that by 2030, Gen Z will account for 25-30% of global luxury market consumption, and Gen Z stands at the forefront of social and cultural change, able to influence the value systems of other generations of consumers.
Consumption logic is also undergoing deep reconstruction—a recent report by market research firm Team One, "2026 Global Affluent Collective Report," points out that "belonging" is the scarce resource that today's affluent consumers truly value: 92% seek value recognition from "the right people" rather than "more people," and 80% tend to build a sense of belonging through shared interests.
Facing the current market environment, GRAFF's answer is: this brand ambassador needs to be three-dimensional and full-figured; he must stand at the forefront of culture and be able to influence the consumption value systems of different generations; he must possess authenticity and strong emotional connection capabilities, giving followers a "sense of belonging."
Behind the appointment of a global brand ambassador, the core is GRAFF's dual-track layout targeting a broader customer base: on the surface, Jung Kook serves as a messenger, extending an invitation to dialogue with the new generation. But for a family business that has always maintained a "slow" rhythm, the significance of this decision goes far beyond expanding awareness—it carries deeper meaning.
GRAFF's "Dual-Track Parallel" Strategy
The answer to this deeper meaning lies in the new Laurence Graff Signature collection worn by Jung Kook in the announcement campaign.
On one hand, from craftsmanship and style to materials and wearing methods, the new Laurence Graff Signature collection itself is the best footnote to GRAFF's "versatility and multifaceted talent":
- Craftsmanship: Laurence Graff Signature is the first collection in GRAFF's product matrix named after the founder. Its original creative intent is to pay tribute to Mr. Graff's achievements in diamond discovery, cutting, and polishing; therefore, the multifaceted cutting technique constitutes the core language of the entire collection.
- Style: It is GRAFF's first gender-neutral jewelry collection, with clean lines and concise shapes, distinctly differentiated from the brand's other more feminine products. GRAFF Brand Design Director Anne-Eva Geffroy calls it "a collection for the future."
- Materials: The collection blends diamonds with white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold, allowing GRAFF to demonstrate a richer material expressiveness beyond "famous diamonds."
- Wearing: Each piece in the collection can be worn alone or mixed and stacked, breaking the established rules of high jewelry wearing and encouraging wearers to create their own personalized combinations.
On the other hand, looking at market and consumer trends: the jewelry category has shown strong resilience in the global luxury cyclical adjustment. Bain's 2026 "Global Luxury Market Study" spring edition points out that the jewelry category continues to lead the personal luxury market. On the consumer side, gender-neutral and personalized jewelry designs have become extremely important wearing preferences and trends among contemporary young people.
Connecting market signals with brand actions, the deeper meaning of GRAFF's announcement becomes clear: the new Laurence Graff Signature collection serves as the "translator" behind the scenes—translating the grammatical system GRAFF has built over more than half a century with authoritative diamond cutting and polishing techniques into a language that can be worn daily. Meanwhile, Jung Kook serves as the communicator in front, allowing this language to be heard by more people and understood by younger generations. One is responsible for translation, the other for communication—the two lines intertwine, ultimately conveying a clear message to the public: GRAFF is more than one side.
Above: GRAFF's new Laurence Graff Signature collection
In China, How to Showcase a More Multifaceted GRAFF Image?
In 2025, GRAFF opened its first public exhibition at the West Bund Orbit Art Center in Shanghai, displaying the brand's legendary history and century-old famous diamonds, building initial public awareness of its identity as the "king of famous diamonds."
Starting this year, GRAFF began to think: How can more consumers learn about the brand's richer world beyond famous diamonds? How to present a more modern GRAFF?
On one hand, the brand deepens its narrative through curated thematic exhibitions of iconic collections—in May, it held the "Brilliant Flight" Butterfly collection jewelry exhibition at the Old City Hall on the Bund in Shanghai, letting a broader audience know that GRAFF is not only about famous diamonds but also has a complete Butterfly collection, as well as a portfolio of works made from various precious materials such as colored gemstones and pearls.
Above: Some butterfly brooches presented at the Graff Butterfly collection jewelry exhibition
On the other hand, the announcement of the global brand ambassador and the release of the new Laurence Graff Signature collection campaign mark GRAFF's use of a face that embodies the brand spirit with strong group appeal and charisma, along with a product collection that respects personalized expression, to tell consumers: it is not just a legend displayed in a showcase, but a brand with bold style, confident attitude, and the ability to enter a broader daily context.
As Arnaud Bastien told Luxe.CO: "The world of Graff is richer than you might imagine. It is not out of reach."
| Image source: Provided by GRAFF
| Editor: Elisa
