Most fans dream of getting up close and personal with their favorite celebrity. With its new “Senses Collection,” 5 Gum is taking that fantasy to a whole new level by using the breath of KATSEYE members as inspiration.
The gum brand wants people to experience “how it feels to chew 5 Gum.” Each item in the Senses Collection taps into one of the five senses: touch, taste, sight, sound and smell.
The “Senses Collection”
- For sound, fans will get a limited-edition copy of KATSEYE’s “BEAUTIFUL CHAOS” album, signed by all six members.
- Sight is the members’ eye colors, featured on the gum packs.
- Taste comes through in each girl’s favorite 5 Gum flavor.
- Touch? The gum wrappers have kiss prints from each member.
And scent is where things get wild: it’s described as “infused with the fresh breath of your favorite KATSEYE member as she sang into the bottle of this one-of-a-kind room spray.”
From Monday, Oct. 6, to Saturday, Oct. 11, fans can grab the 5 Gum x KATSEYE Senses Collection exclusively from 5 Gum’s online store.
“We try to make our fans feel something special in everything we do,” KATSEYE said in a press release. “Our collab with 5 Gum gives EYEKONS an experience they’ve never felt before. From custom collectibles we helped create to exclusive moments on tour, we can’t wait for our fans to get closer to us than ever.”
The rise of ultra-personal celebrity merch
The KATSEYE x 5 Gum launch is the latest in a growing trend of hyper-personal celebrity collaborations, where merch goes beyond T-shirts and turns into something… a bit more novel.
Earlier this year, Liquid Death dropped a $450 limited-edition set of iced tea cans containing Ozzy Osbourne’s DNA. Marketed as “Infinite Ozzy,” the set came in a lab-style case and featured one of the 10 cans he drank from and signed before his passing.
The brand even teased fans with a future where they could clone the rock legend. “When technology and federal law permits,” read the site, “you’ll be able to replicate Ozzy Osbourne and enjoy him for hundreds of years.” The fine print added, “DNA integrity and cloning results not guaranteed.”
After news of his death went public, one of those cans sold for $4,655 on eBay.
In June, Dr. Squatch released “Sydney’s Bathwater Bliss,” a soap supposedly made with Sydney Sweeney’s actual bathwater. It was a cheeky nod to fan requests that spiraled after a previous ad. All 5,000 bars (priced at $8) sold out instantly. One bar is now listed for $2,500 on eBay.
“It was mainly the girls making comments about it, which I thought was really interesting,” Sweeney told The Wall Street Journal in August. “They all loved the idea of Jacob Elordi’s bathwater.”
And back in 2021, Lil Nas X teamed up with prank collective MSCHF to release the infamous “Satan Shoes,” a drop of human blood included in every pair.
Who is KATSEYE?
KATSEYE is a six-member girl group based in Los Angeles, with members from the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland and the U.S.
They got their start through a global audition launched in 2021 by HYBE — the company behind South Korean boy band BTS — and Geffen Records. Out of 120,000 applicants, 20 finalists would then compete in “The Debut: Dream Academy,” a K-pop-style reality competition that aired in 2023. The final lineup included Sophia Laforteza, Manon Bannerman, Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel and Yoonchae.
Before the show even ended, KATSEYE had released their first single, “Debut,” in June 2024. Their follow-up, “Torch,” blew up on TikTok and helped them chart twice on Billboard’s Hot 100.
The group’s formation was also chronicled in the Netflix docuseries Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE.
This year alone, they’ve launched partnerships with Fendi, Gap and now 5 Gum.
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