Look of the Week: Blackpink headline Coachella in Korean hanboks

Editor’s Observe: That includes the great, the dangerous and the ugly, ‘Look of the Week’ is a daily sequence devoted to unpacking essentially the most talked about outfit of the final seven days.

CNN
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Bringing the second day of this yr’s Coachella to a detailed, Okay-Pop lady group Blackpink made historical past Saturday night time once they turned the primary Asian act to ever headline the competition. To a crowd of, reportedly, over 125,000 individuals, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé used the ground-breaking second to pay homage to Korean heritage by arriving onstage in hanboks: a standard kind of costume.

Whereas the clothes have been shrugged off a couple of seconds into their opening observe, “Pink Venom,” revealing every member’s customized black and pink Dolce and Gabbana outfit, followers internationally had already acquired the message. Screenshots of the second shortly unfold amongst Blackpink superfans, in any other case referred to as Blinks. “The way in which they stepped onto the largest western stage in hanboks … actually proved their place on the high of the business,” tweeted one Blink. “Blackpink actually are in a league of their very own.”

One other referred to as the group “Korea’s cultural delegation” on Instagram, in reference to not solely the hanboks however different visible cues integrated into their present, equivalent to one of many stage backdrops that includes an angular tiled roof harking back to conventional Korean structure.

In recent times, Blackpink have loved a meteoric rise to international fame. In keeping with Guinness World Information, they’re at present essentially the most streamed feminine group on Spotify, and have the most-viewed music YouTube channel. Final yr, they have been the primary feminine Okay-Pop group to succeed in no 1 within the UK and US album charts, and in 2020 their observe “How You Like That” turned essentially the most seen video on YouTube in 24 hours. (The group additionally wore modernized hanboks, designed by Kim Danha, in one of many music video’s scenes.) Their landmark set over the weekend was in actual fact a follow-up to a different milestone: In 2019, they turned the primary feminine Okay-Pop group to ever play at Coachella or every other US competition.

From the long-lasting Jean Paul Gaultier cone bra worn by Madonna for her 1990 Blond Ambition tour to Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell’s Union Jack mini costume, the proper stage costume can dwell on perpetually in public reminiscence. Notably when worn at a career-defining second. Throughout one other watershed Coachella efficiency — Beyonce’s 2018 headline set — the singer’s customized Balmain collegiate-style yellow hoodie was a joyful nod to Black tradition, particularly traditionally Black colleagues and universities.

The group’s 4 black hanboks have been customized created by South Korean sample design model OUWR and conventional Korean dressmakers Kumdanje. Impressed by the Cheol-lik silhouette, every garment was hand-embroidered with metallic conventional Korean motifs, together with dan-cheong patterns and peonies (a logo of royalty in Korea). “It was our pleasure and such an honor to have the ability to present the gorgeous values of Korea and Hanbok collectively,” the designers wrote in a mixed Instagram publish. “Blackpink confirmed the fantastic thing about Korea and dazzled the world.”

In Korea, hanboks are nonetheless worn for particular events and infrequently seen on TV dramas. Many designers within the nation have additionally created up to date takes which are integrated into on a regular basis put on. At Seoul Vogue Week, JULYCOLUMN’s Fall-Winter 2023 assortment drew on the hanbok’s voluminous silhouette to create shirts and structured jackets. Final September, Korean label BlueTamburin introduced the garment to a Western viewers by solely utilizing conventional hanbok cloth to create its Spring-Summer season 2023 assortment at Milan Vogue Week.

Whether or not you’re a faithful Blink or not, the seems to be marked a second of Asian visibility, recognition of conventional craftsmanship and a strong instance of feeling seen by way of trend — representing Korean tradition and symbolically embracing each its previous and future.

On the finish of their efficiency, and having addressed the viewers between numbers in English all through their two-hour-long efficiency, Blackpink completed their set in Korean: “Till now, it has been Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé Blackpink. Thanks.”

High picture: Blackpink performing on the first weekend of Coachella 2023, shortly after eradicating their hanboks.