Written By Sesam Rana Magar, Terafty Manager
All the images are sourced from Flickr and Pinterest.
The irresistible rhythms of K-pop have the world grooving to its beats. From incessant domination in top music charts to social media records, K-pop is everywhere. While music is undeniably the cornerstone of K-pop’s popularity, other contributing factors, notably fashion, have played a significant role in elevating its global presence.
K-pop fashion is a phenomenon in itself. Quirky accessories, bold color palettes, funky styles and many other out-of-the-box fashion statements in K-pop embody the spirit of individuality and self-expression. This motivates the audience to embrace their uniqueness through fashion. In this article, we will explore 7 fashion trends popularized by K-pop idols, which have been followed as fashion examples by a vast global audience.
1. Girls’ Generation’s Colorful Skinny Jeans
Loose baggy pants have surged in popularity recently, and skinny jeans are considered a fashion faux now. However, skinny jeans once spearheaded a fashion revolution in the late 2000s. K-pop girl group, Girls Generation appeared in low-rise colorful skinny jeans in their popular song “GEE” and became a huge trend.
Girls Generation experienced overnight success after the release of the song and became “Nation’s Girl Group.” It became one of the best-selling songs of the year. To this date, many other K-pop idols cover the song during their music show performances, often wearing skinny jeans for this specific one.
Additionally, around a decade later, when the group members appeared in the show, “You Quiz One the Block,” YoonA mentioned that she was reminded of how fast the time had passed since the release of the song when she read the comment of a young fan saying, “Girls’ Generation’s skinny jeans? Those are the pants my mom used to wear.” This indicates the impact of the fashion from the song on people. Although the fashion trend no longer exists, we can expect them to rise in popularity again with the rise of the Y2K trend, as fashion tends to cycle back over time.
2. Blackpink Jennie’s Bobby Pin Hairstyle
Blackpink Jennie reminded us all that bobby pins are not just to hold hair in place. Generally concealed during hair updos, Jennie stylishly flaunted them, offering her audience a simple yet innovative hairstyle concept.
Jennie released her debut solo album called “SOLO” and during the promotion of the song, she was seen flaunting multiple glitter bobby pins on both sides of parted hair and the hair accessory became popular. Jennie made glitter bobby pin hairstyles so popular that they became known as “Jennie Pins” and the hairstyle as “Jennie Bobby Pin Hairstyle.”
3. Chungha’s Glitter Makeup
Chungha’s viral wink in her performance of the “Roller Coaster” song wherein she wore glitter makeup on her eye became viral among the K-pop fan community. When she winked during her performance, the glitter underneath her eye shined at the same time, making the specific moment special and captivating.
There are compilations of Chungha’s glitter shine moments from the promotional performances of the song on YouTube. Moreover, many people mention and discuss her eye glitter shine moment in the comments of the video and Chungha has also talked about it in the show “Radio Star.” Ultimately, her stage makeup sparked widespread interest, leading to numerous makeup tutorials inspired by her looks.
4. EXO Kai’s Crop Top
Kai from EXO shattered the notion or stereotype that crop tops are exclusively girls’ fashion pieces. He extensively performed and confidently displayed crop top fashion in his live performances of the song “Tempo.” This also sparked controversy among a few fans that there should not be hype for male idols wearing crop tops if they are feeling uncomfortable in it.
In an interview, Kai said that it was originally his idea to wear a crop top that he put forward to his stylists. During an episode of Knowing Bros, he mentioned feeling comfortable in crop tops during performances but naked before and after the show. Kai’s crop top and generally, male idols in crop tops became a hot topic of discussion among K-pop fans.
Many other male idols have also worn crop tops for their performances. However, among them, Kai is the idol who popularized it the most, cementing his influence as a fashion icon in the industry.
5. Two-Toned Hair
Colorful hairstyles have long been a hallmark of K-pop fashion. They have pushed the boundaries of conventional hair colors and influenced people to use colors that would best suit their personality and basically, play with bold colors.
One particularly noteworthy trend within the realm of colorful hairstyles is the rise of two-toned hair. In such hairstyles, two distinct shades of hair colors, usually that contrast one another, are seamlessly blended into the hair. The trend has been popular for a long time but got prominent when Kim Jennie of Blackpink was seen in blonde hairband bangs in the music video of “How You Like That.” Later many people, including celebrities, were seen copying the exact hairstyle in different variations.
6. Modernized Hanbok
Hanbok is the traditional cultural dress of Korea and K-pop idols have popularized the modern version by introducing everyday, casual and wearable elements. The outfits retain the traditional aesthetic and elegance of Hanbok and simultaneously, are designed in a way that the idols could perform comfortably.
Many K-pop groups such as Blackpink, BTS, Oneus and many more have performed dressed in Hanbok. The modern hanboks are not just limited to performances but many idols have worn them for their airport fashion and as other everyday outfits.
There is a rise in the number of modern hanbok brands such as Seori Narae, Leesle and many celebrities are seen wearing outfits from those brands.
7. Bunny Hats
We have often seen K-pop idols wearing bunny hats in reality-variety shows, fan signs, airports, etc. Bunny hats have a cartoonish face and two dangling paws with buttons at the bottom. When pressed, it allows you to pop up the corresponding ears. These pieces aren’t just adorable fashion statements, but also keep your head warm.
The bunny hat trend became even more popular in 2023 as it was the year of rabbit. Last year, around the time of the lunar new year, the founder and designer of the streetwear brand DAWANG released a collection of rabbit beanies inspired by bunny hats. Additionally. while the hat was only famous among K-pop fans previously, now, TikTokers incorporate the accessory into their outfits as a cutesy prop which has made it even more famous.
8. Leg Warmers
With the resurgence of Y2K fashion, leg warmers have also made their comeback. K-pop is often deemed as the major source of Y2K fashion inspiration in recent days as groups such as Le Serrafim, ITZY, New Jeans, etc are seen flaunting these styles effortlessly in music videos and public appearances. Among all the Y2K trends, legwarmers are one of the most popular.
The leg warmer trend in K-pop has become popular among audiences due to its nostalgic appeal and the visual impact it adds to performances. Jang Wonyoung of IVE and Kim Jennie of Blackpink are said to have popularized this fashion accessory. Wonyoung was seen wearing the fashion piece in the stage performance of “Groove Back” with J.Y. Park. Additionally, in an Instagram post, Jennie showed off her ballerina look and finished with a pair of leg warmers. Hence, it is considered the latest it-girl-approved accessory.
To Sum Up
K-pop idols have made a substantial mark on global fashion trends, introducing a variety of styles that deeply resonate with the fans. Their fashion choices showcased in music videos, stage performances, everyday looks, etc are closely observed by the fans and are influenced by them, often making them become viral. From bold hair colors to modern interpretations of traditional outfits, K-pop has introduced experimental and wearable fashion trends among the audience.
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