How K-pop group BTS’ global success has raised the profile of Korean fashion brands
- Designers’ 2019 autumn/winter collections claim sales of US$6.6 million abroad in first six months of year after Concept Korea runway shows in New York and Shanghai
The international success of K-pop groups, such as boy band BTS and girl group BLACKPINK, is partly responsible for the growing interest in South Korean fashion around the world, which has seen companies increasingly expanding overseas.
The seven-member boy band BTS made history in June as the first Korean band to perform at Wembley Stadium, in London, during its current extended sell-out world tour.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) – a government agency that helps promote Korean businesses – announced on June 4 that various domestic support projects have helped Korean fashion designers’ 2019 autumn/winter season collections secure overseas sales of 7.9 billion won (US$6.6 million) during this year’s first six months.
Korea’s leading fashion designers kick-started the new season with a runway show named Concept Korea, which was showcased at both New York Fashion Week and Shanghai Fashion Week.
Concept Korea is a fashion show that has been held by KOCCA since 2010 in an effort to introduce domestic designer brands to major oversees fashion markets.
Brands such as LIE and IISE took the concept of “urban sensibility in Seoul” to New York in February, while the brands KYE and D-ANTIDOTE presented casual street fashion with Korean aesthetics in Shanghai in April.