BLACKPINK Dominated Music: Streetwear Is Next
BLACKPINK, one of K-Pop's most titanic forces, has already shaped the music industry to its whims, dominating global culture so thoroughly that a even film documenting one of its international tours became the single highest-grossing moment in event cinema history.
Now, as BLACKPINK's members amplify their solo careers, they're also expanding their stylistic influence. As K-Pop A-listers, Jennie, Lisa, Rosé and Jisoo already had luxury fashion wrapped around their fingers; streetwear was always next to bow to the queens.
BLACKPINK has already explored the stylistic motifs youth culture: beyond their off-duty outfits and the red-hot merch occasionally overseen by streetwear kingmakers like VERDY and artist Takashi Murakami, its four members have individually riffed on different elements.
Jennie Kim, for instance, has devised boundlessly popular Gentle Monster sunglasses since 2020.
Really, Jennie is a great case study for how BLACKPINK is expanding further into fashion's youthful fringes.
A Chanel ambassador for the better part of a decade, Jennie has long had more in common with the world of luxury than streetwear. Like, she even wore Alaïa to the 2024 Met Gala. This has clearly been her comfort zone... until now.
In mid-2024, Jennie suddenly switched things up, diving deep into comparably casual waters.
First, on June 10, she made her model debut during Jacquemus' exquisite Fall/Winter 2024 runway show, wearing a quintessentially Jennie look: refined, elegant, but approachably so, all in the context of a designer who's a little more attainable.
Likely a welcome change to young Jennie fans keen to support their idol considering that, prior to Jacquemus, her only properly accessible brand partner was Calvin Klein.
But only a day later, the 28-year-old singer went a step further, becoming the face of adidas and CLOT's latest collaboration.
Now, this isn't entirely left-field: the entire BLACKPINK squad has long endorsed adidas. But it's still pretty uncommon that a single member from the group would lend her face to a big streetwear moment.
It's also pretty smart on a variety of levels.
CLOT is thoroughly established in Asia, especially China, but despite celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, remains more of a cult imprint than, say, Supreme or Stüssy.
Bringing on Jennie ensures more eyeballs for one of CLOT's first few adidas partnerships, which have been relatively quiet (if consistently excellent) thus far.
Supporting the drop in turn grants Jennie a little extra IYKYK clout, a crucial cultural cue that cannot be bought, only earned.
This immediately recalls Lisa's starring role in KITH's Spring/Summer 2024 campaign from only a month prior.
Again, rare enough that a solo BLACKPINK singer would model for a youthful line like KITH but important because it reflects multiple factors, like KITH's growing international influence and just-opened South Korean flagship store, while demonstrating Lisa's hunger to represent a fresher side of fashion.
Already a face of CELINE, Louis Vuitton and Bulgari, the KITH shoot is the 27-year-old's first notable step away from her usual high-end inclinations.
It's a coup for KITH, to be sure, whose creative director, Daniëlle Cathari, notched her young tenure's first major moment. But it's also a win for Lisa, who's only beginning to tap into her boundless potential beyond luxury.
As for Jisoo and Rosé? I'm willing to bet they're on the cusp of their own street-leaning renaissance.
As much as fans crave new music, they'll have to wait. BLACKPINK is only just getting into its streetwear bag.
