Photo Credits: GQ Korea. Prada. SM Entertainment

When artistry and fashion align, the result is unforgettable — and EXO’s Kai delivers exactly that in the September 2025 issue of GQ Korea, photographed in an exclusive collaboration with Prada. Revered as one of the industry’s most versatile front-runners, Kai embodies the spirit of Prada’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, bringing depth, sophistication, and effortless charisma to every frame.

The atmosphere of the editorial is strikingly cinematic, with diffused lighting casting sculptural shadows, drawing attention to the precision of Prada’s tailoring. Muted industrial backdrops heighten the collection’s color story — a palette of deep espresso browns, slate grays, and winter whites punctuated by unexpected jolts of crimson. It is a world where restraint meets drama, minimalism infused with quiet intensity, and Kai is at the very center of it.

The garments themselves speak in textures. Structured wool overcoats with angular shoulders emphasize clean linearity, while fluid silk-blend shirts add a subtle softness to the compositions. Sharp double-breasted blazers, cut with Prada’s signature architectural precision, find balance against the languid drape of wide-leg trousers in fine gabardine. Knits in tactile mohair and brushed cashmere bring a sense of intimacy and tactility, while leather accessories — sleek belts, softened boots with a polished edge — remind us of Prada’s mastery of detail.

Kai inhabits each look with an instinctive ease, breathing life into the collection through motion and expression. His ability to oscillate between intensity and restraint makes the styling almost performative: a gesture of a hand, the tilt of his gaze, or the arch of his posture transforms the narrative of each ensemble. The editorial reads less like a fashion spread and more like a series of living portraits, where Prada’s lines and fabrics are translated into mood and energy.

Every element echoes Prada’s central FW25 message — elegance born of tension, where tradition converses with modernity. Precise tailoring coexists with experimental layering; rigor softened by fluid textiles, structure contrasted with movement. Within this vision, Kai becomes more than a muse; he is the medium through which these intricacies are illuminated.

For fans and fashion observers alike, the pictorial is a testament to Kai’s growing stature as a global fashion presence, one who transcends his identity as a performer to claim space as an icon of contemporary elegance. The collaboration feels both natural and inevitable: Prada’s intellectual refinement paired with Kai’s multifaceted artistry.

With GQ Korea’s September feature, EXO’s Kai does not simply model Prada — he interprets it, embodying fall’s defining sensibilities through texture, tone, and tailored line, leaving an indelible imprint on fashion’s current narrative.

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