Blackpink headlines Coachella in Korean hanbok

Editor’s Note: Showing the good, the bad and the ugly, ‘View of the Week’ is a regular series dedicated to revealing the most talked about outfits of the last seven days.

Closing out the second day of Coachella this year, K-Pop girl group Blackpink made history on Saturday night when they became the first Asian act to headline the festival. In front of more than 125,000 people, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé used this breakthrough moment to pay homage to Korean heritage by arriving on stage wearing hanbok: a type of traditional clothing.

While the outfits were overlooked seconds after their opening song, “Pink Venom,” revealing each member’s black and pink Dolce and Gabbana outfits, fans around the world have gotten the message. Screenshot This moment quickly spread among Blackpink superfans, otherwise known as Blinks. “The way they stepped onto the biggest western stage in hanbok… truly proves their place at the top of the industry,” tweeted one Blink. “Blackpink is truly in a league of their own.”

Others called the group “delegates of Korean culture” on Instagram, referring not only to the hanbok but also other visual cues incorporated into their performances, such as one of the stage backdrops featuring an angular tiled roof reminiscent of traditional Korean architecture.

In recent years, Blackpink has enjoyed skyrocketing global popularity. According to Guinness World Recordsthey are currently the most streamed girl group on Spotify, and have the most watched music YouTube channel. Last year, they became the first female K-Pop group to reach number 1 on both the UK and US album charts, and in 2020 their song “How You Like That” became the most-watched video on YouTube in 24 hours. (The group also wore modern hanboks, designed by Kim Danha, in one scene of the music video.) Their historic achievement over the weekend was actually a follow-up to another achievement: In 2019, they became the first all-female K-Pop group to ever perform at Coachella or another US festival.

From Jean Paul Gaultier’s iconic cone bra that Madonna wore for her 1990 Blond Ambition tour to Geri “Ginger Spice” Halliwell’s Union Jack mini dress, the right stage costumes will always be in the public’s memory. Especially when worn during career-defining moments. During another landmark Coachella performance — which Beyoncé headlined in 2018 — the yellow college-style Balmain hoodie the singer wore was a joyous nod to Black culture, specifically historically Black colleagues and universities.

The group’s four black hanboks were custom made by South Korean pattern design brand OUWR and traditional Korean tailor Kumdanje. Inspired by the Cheol-lik silhouette, each garment is hand-embroidered with traditional Korean metallic motifs, including dan-cheong patterns and peonies (a symbol of royalty in Korea). “It is a joy and an honor for us to be able to show the beautiful values ​​of Korea and Hanbok together,” the designers write in a joint Instagram post. “Blackpink shows the beauty of Korea and fascinates the world.”

In Korea, hanbok are still worn for special occasions and are often seen TV Drama. Many designers in the country have also created contemporary styles that can be combined with everyday clothes. At Seoul Fashion Week, JULYCOLUMN’s Fall-Winter 2023 collection utilized the voluminous silhouette of the hanbok to create structured shirts and jackets. Last September, Korean label BlueTamburin brought the garments to Western audiences by exclusively using traditional hanbok fabric to create its Spring-Summer 2023 collection at Milan Fashion Week.

Whether you’re a loyal Blink or not, this look marks a moment of Asian visibility, a recognition of traditional craftsmanship and a powerful example of feeling seen through fashion — representing Korean culture and symbolically embracing the past and the future.

At the end of their performance, and after speaking to the audience between numbers in English throughout their two-hour performance, Blackpink finished their set in Korean: “As of now, it’s just Blackpink’s Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa, and Rosé. Thank you.”

Top image: Blackpink performs at the first weekend of Coachella 2023, shortly after removing their hanbok.