With roots in the 1990s, K-pop — a mix of pop, rap, electronica, and other genres with a South Korean twist — is affecting far more than social media trends and billboard charts. Fans of the music are taking up charitable causes, and according to the global fashion search engine Lyst, they are also wearing the same designers as their beloved K-pop idols. In its “Year in Fashion” report, which tracked more than 100 million searches from 80 million shoppers across the globe in 2018, Lyst identified K-pop stars as “major global fashion influencers.” It credits these performers with spiking searches related to brands like Moschino and Chrome Hearts after wearing them this year.
The omnipresence of K-pop fans on social media around the world is fueling the trend as well as the importance of visuals in the genre. Bright colors and bold prints are the norm when it comes to K-pop acts, who have made fads of the most mundane (and unexpected) pieces of clothing. A campaign T-shirt from Rev. Jesse Jackson’s failed 1988 presidential run became a must-have in South Korea this year after rapper Moonbyul of Mamamoo wore it. And the introduction of makeup lines for men is largely due to K-pop, since many members of the boy bands use “guyliner,” lip tints, and brow fillers; it’s no coincidence that South Korea reportedly makes up 20 percent of the global men’s cosmetics market.
As K-pop’s influence spreads, it has shaped fashion trends in a way music hasn’t seen since the genesis of American hip-hop, when brands like Adidas, Kangol, and Jordans became must-haves for listeners. Designers, according to Lyst, would be wise to embrace K-pop’s impact on fashion, an almost certainly lucrative move.
K-pop stars’ fashion sensibilities haven’t been lost on American publications like Vogue: The magazine named Sehun of the group EXO the “best-dressed man” at Louis Vuitton Resort’s 2019 show in May. It was the second consecutive year that Sehun received the shoutout from the magazine, which highlighted his “fuzzy mohair sweater with bold stripes” and the “red and white woven into each detail” of his outfit. The mix of textures and bold colors in Sehun’s outfit is representative of the K-pop look, in which artists lean toward vivid hues, sensual fabrics, and showy patterns.
“K-pop’s influence on fashion has been growing rapidly over the years alongside the rise of social media,” stated Camilla Clarkson, communications manager for Louis Vuitton. “ No part of their life is too small for fans to tweet, vlog, or ’gram about. As a result, we’ve seen more global searches and sales this year than ever before, with fans desperate to get as close to the stars as possible.”
Shelley Li of the K-Style Files, a database of K-pop fashions, credits the globalization of K-pop music with its growing influence on fashion trends. As K-pop fans have spread from South Korea to countries such as South Africa, the Philippines, and the United States, the fashions its stars wear have more eyes on them and, thus, more copycats. But Li and Clarkson say the specific visuals associated with the music also play a role. “K-pop comes in a visually stimulating package — high-production music videos and performances with vibrant sets, lighting, and, of course, fashion,” Li said.
Clearly, with international fame comes even more responsibility for a supergroup like BTS to dress in a way that takes into account how certain imagery may be read by a wide range of audiences. Still, the fact that BTS has dominated worldwide trends on Twitter during the first few days of December indicates that the controversies related to their clothing certainly haven’t curbed the zeal that surrounds the group.
Camilla Clarkson predicts that K-pop and its stars will continue to dominate fashion trends next year. That means more male makeup, unconventional T-shirt choices, brightly colored hair, and bold prints — from stripes to zigzags to polka dots — and clothes featuring cartoon or video game characters. Given this, Clarkson argues that Western fashion designers in particular would be wise to capitalize on the trend. “Western designers would do well to see [K-pop] not just as a place for inspiration,” Clarkson said, “but an area to involve themselves in to help bolster sales.”
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