: Featuring 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. — Bringing the second day of this 12 months’s Coachella to a detailed, Okay-Pop woman group Blackpink made historical past Saturday evening once they turned the primary Asian act to ever headline the pageant. To a crowd of, reportedly, over 125,000 folks, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé used the ground-breaking second to pay homage to Korean heritage by arriving onstage in hanboks: a conventional sort of gown. While the clothes had been shrugged off a couple of seconds into their opening monitor, “Pink Venom,” revealing every member’s customized black and pink Dolce and Gabbana outfit, followers the world over had already acquired the message. Screenshots of the second shortly unfold amongst Blackpink superfans, in any other case often called Blinks. “The way they stepped onto the biggest western stage in hanboks … literally proved their place at the top of the industry,” tweeted one Blink. “Blackpink really are in a league of their own.” Another known as the group “Korea’s cultural delegation” on Instagram, in reference to not solely the hanboks however different visible cues included into their present, equivalent to one of many stage backdrops that includes an angular tiled roof paying homage to conventional Korean structure. In latest years, Blackpink have loved a meteoric rise to world fame. According to Guinness World Records, they’re at present essentially the most streamed feminine group on Spotify, and have the most-viewed music YouTube channel. Last 12 months, they had been the primary feminine Okay-Pop group to succeed in number one within the UK and US album charts, and in 2020 their monitor “How You Like That” turned essentially the most considered 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 another US pageant. 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 gown, the correct stage costume can dwell on endlessly in public reminiscence. Particularly when worn at a career-defining second. During 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 had been customized created by South Korean sample design model OUWR and conventional Korean dressmakers Kumdanje. Inspired by the Cheol-lik silhouette, every garment was hand-embroidered with metallic conventional Korean motifs, together with dan-cheong patterns and peonies (an emblem of royalty in Korea). “It was our pleasure and such an honor to be able to show the beautiful values of Korea and Hanbok together,” the designers wrote in a mixed Instagram submit. “Blackpink showed the beauty of 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 included into on a regular basis put on. At Seoul Fashion Week, JULYCOLUMN’s Fall-Winter 2023 assortment drew on the hanbok’s voluminous silhouette to create shirts and structured jackets. Last September, Korean label BlueTamburin introduced the garment to a Western viewers by completely utilizing conventional hanbok cloth to create its Spring-Summer 2023 assortment at Milan Fashion Week. Whether you’re a loyal 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. At the tip 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: “Until now, it has been Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé Blackpink. Thank you.” Top picture: Blackpink performing on the first weekend of Coachella 2023, shortly after eradicating their hanboks.
