Bringing the second day of this yr’s Coachella to a detailed, Okay-Pop woman group Blackpink made historical past Saturday evening once they grew to become the primary Asian act to ever headline the pageant. 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 conventional kind of costume.
Designed by OUWR and Kumdanje, the hanboks have been impressed by the Cheol-lik silhouette. Credit score: Kumdanje/OUW
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, resembling one of many stage backdrops that includes an angular tiled roof paying homage to conventional Korean structure.
From the enduring 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 stay on perpetually in public reminiscence. Significantly 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 stage design was one other acknowledgement of Korean heritage. Credit score: Frazer Harrison/Getty Photos
In Korea, hanboks are nonetheless worn for particular events and sometimes 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 Trend 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 completely utilizing conventional hanbok cloth to create its Spring-Summer time 2023 assortment at Milan Trend Week.
Whether or not you are a loyal Blink or not, the appears 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.”
Prime picture: Blackpink performing on the first weekend of Coachella 2023, shortly after eradicating their hanboks.
