Joe McConnell
Editor’s Note: “Look of the Week” is a periodic series dedicated to revealing the most talked about outfits of the last seven days, with the good, the bad, and the ugly.
CNN
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To close out the second day of this year’s Coachella, K-Pop girl group Blackpink made history on Saturday night, becoming the first Asian group to headline the festival. In front of a crowd reportedly over 125,000, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé used the moment to pay homage to their Korean heritage, taking the stage in hanbok: a type of traditional dress.
As the clothes were removed seconds into the opening track, “Pink Venom,” revealing each member’s custom black and pink Dolce and Gabbana outfits, fans around the world had already gotten the message. Screenshots of the moment quickly spread among Blackpink superfans, otherwise known as Blinks. “The way they took to the biggest stage in the West in hanbok… literally proved their place at the top of the industry,” one Blink tweeted. “Blackpink is truly in a league of their own.”
Another called the group on Instagram “Korea’s cultural delegation,” referring not only to the hanbok but also to other visual elements incorporated into their performance, such as one of the stage backdrops featuring an angular tile roof reminiscent of traditional Korean architecture.
Blackpink have had a meteoric rise to global fame in recent years. According to Guinness World Records, they are currently the most-streamed girl group on Spotify and have the most-viewed YouTube music channel. Last year, they became the first female K-pop group to reach No. 1 on both the UK and US album charts, and in 2020, their track “How You Like That” became the most-viewed video on YouTube in 24 hours. (The group also wore modernized hanboks, designed by Kim Danha, in one scene of the music video.) Their epochal set over the weekend was actually the follow-up to another milestone: In 2019, they became the first female K-pop group to play Coachella or any other US festival.
From Madonna’s iconic Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra for her 1990 Blond Ambition tour to Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell’s Union Jack mini dress, the right stage costume can live on in the public memory forever. Especially when worn during a career-defining moment. During another watershed Coachella performance, Beyonce’s 2018, the singer’s custom yellow Balmain varsity sweatshirt was a joyous nod to black culture, particularly her historically black peers and universities.
The group’s four black hanboks were custom-made by South Korean pattern design brand OUWR and traditional Korean tailors Kumdanje. Inspired by the Cheol-lik silhouette, each piece was hand-embroidered with traditional Korean metallic patterns, including dan-cheong and peonies (a symbol of royalty in Korea). “It was a pleasure and honor to showcase the beautiful values of Korea and Hanbok together,” the designers wrote in a combined Instagram post. “Blackpink showcased the beauty of Korea and dazzled the world.”
In Korea, hanbok are still worn for special occasions and often seen on TV dramas. Many of the country’s designers have also created contemporary interpretations that are incorporated into everyday wear. At Seoul Fashion Week, JULYCOLUMN’s Fall 2023 collection drew on the hanbok’s voluminous silhouette to create structured shirts and jackets. Last September, Korean label BlueTamburin brought the garment to a Western audience by using only traditional hanbok fabric to create its Spring 2023 collection at Milan Fashion Week.
Whether you’re a die-hard Blink fan or not, these looks marked a moment of Asian visibility, recognition of traditional craftsmanship, and a powerful example of sentiment expressed through fashion, representing Korean culture and symbolically embracing both its past and its future.
At the end of their performance, and after addressing the audience in English between songs during their two-hour performance, Blackpink concluded their set in Korean: “So far, it’s been Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé Blackpink. Thank you.”
Top image: Blackpink performs on the first weekend of Coachella 2023, shortly after removing their hanboks.
