COS Names Cai Xukun Global Brand Ambassador Ahead of New York Fashion Week
COS, the contemporary-fashion brand owned by H&M, has named Chinese artist and music producer Cai Xukun — known to fans as Kun — as its global brand ambassador.
The announcement lands just ahead of New York Fashion Week, where Cai is set to attend the COS Fall/Winter 2026 show, according to the brand's Instagram. He will also make his campaign debut in the Fall/Winter 2026 collection, as reported by L'Officiel Singapore on Threads.
In a press release, COS said Cai's "dedication to creativity and innovation" resonates with the brand's commitment to craftsmanship and contemporary design. Cai returned the compliment, saying COS's focus on design, materials and detail — and what he called its "clear and intentional approach to expression" — resonates with him. (WWD)
For a brand that sits in the quiet-contemporary space — pared-back design, natural fabrics, a price point above H&M's main line but well below luxury — the pick is deliberate. Cai brings a combined following of more than 77 million across Instagram, Douyin, Xiaohongshu and Weibo, the four platforms that matter most for reaching Chinese and Chinese-diaspora consumers. That reach spans both Western and Chinese social-media ecosystems, a balance few global ambassadors offer.
Cai is no stranger to fashion-brand deals. He has previously been linked to Gentle Monster, Charlotte Tilbury and Versace. Less than two weeks before the COS announcement, on 27 August 2026, he was named the first global ambassador of Grotto, a denim label, as part of its 25th-anniversary celebrations. (WWD)
His career has not followed a straight upward line. A highly publicised controversy in 2023 threatened to derail his momentum, but he re-emerged with what observers describe as a more approachable image. Earlier this year, the English-language single "What a Day" and its viral music video renewed online interest in his work. (WWD)
What makes the COS deal stand out is the calibration on both sides. A brand rooted in understated design has chosen a star whose recent comeback leans on accessibility rather than spectacle. And Cai, fresh from a denim-label signing, is now attached to a label distributed in over 50 markets through H&M Group's infrastructure — a platform that turns an ambassador's reach into shelf space and campaign visibility on a global scale.
Cai's first COS campaign will appear with the Fall/Winter 2026 collection.
