American footwear brand Sam Edelman has named Chinese actress and singer Esther Yu as its new brand ambassador. A former member of The9, the project girl group formed through iQiyi’s survival show Youth With You 2, Yu has 28.86 million followers on Weibo. The announcement coincides with the launch of the brand’s 2025 Spring/Summer campaign, which features Yu modeling footwear styles including the Bay pearl slides, Zuri ballet flats, and Michaela Mary Janes.