Ayushi Saxena, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

In recent years, the “Hallyu wave” has taken the world by storm. South Korea and its culture have seen a large number of admirers across the globe all thanks to the talented artists who have managed to garner an audience outside their home country too. Due to this, various aspects of Korean society like the Korean language, Korean music or K-pop, the Korean entertainment industry, etc are booming. One of the rising aspects of this Hallyu Wave is Korean fashion or K-fashion, as we call it.

What is K-Fashion?

K-Fashion? Haven’t you heard the term? The world is crazy about all things ‘K’ (Korean), quite literally. K-Pop for music lovers, K-Drama for lazy entertainment slobs, and K-Beauty for makeup enthusiasts. K-Fashion is up next, steadily turning the needle from West to East. When we talk about K-fashion, how can we miss the Seoul Fashion Week that started in 2013 intending to create a global influence regarding Korean fashion! In recent years, Seoul Fashion Week has experienced a wide variety of designers and fashion bloggers, influences, critics, etc. flying there from all over the world. Many K-pop groups like BTS, EXO, Stray Kids, Blackpink, Itzy, (G)I-DLE, have also witnessed a large number of fan-following mainly among Generation Z and millennials leading exposure to a whole new culture and its fashion. Fans get inspired by their favourite Idols and wish to adapt to a similar style as them to feel a certain connection with them. Below I’m going to list a few K-fashion trends that are taken inspiration from, globally.

Street-wear

The street-wear style has started to catch up among Koreans in the past few years inspired by many celebrities who spot street-wear styles. Some popular streetwear styles are baggy pants, oversized t-shirts, oversized sweatshirts, blazers and bucket hats to name a few. Many street-wear brands have emerged recently bringing the style to the streets as a common sight. Many k-pop idols are spotted wearing street-wear styles when spotted off-camera living their lives as native Korean.

Crop-tops

They are an easy go-to option when you don’t feel like wearing long t-shirts but at the same time want to flaunt your incredible abs. We have seen various idols wearing the crop-top style such as the Blackpink members, Wendy of Red Velvet, Kai of EXO, Jin of BTS, and many more. Pair it with a loose-fitting pair of jeans/shorts and sneakers and you’re good to go giving you that ‘didn’t put much effort but still looks fabulous’ vibe.

Gettin’ those layers on!

Winter in Korea is colder than that in India so Koreans layer their winter outfits to protect themselves from the cold but makes it fashionable. We’ve seen many idols/actors do the same. You can layer your outfits with puffer jackets, oversized coats, or oversized pullovers over your t-shirts and sweatshirts and add some funky accessories to vibe with your outfit giving you comfort that winters can be made fashionable without a monkey cap too!

Masks

Though Covid-19 made masks a necessity however Koreans wore them way before the pandemic hit the globe. Due to the pollution and yellow dust, from the deserts of china which can do serious issues to your lungs, the mask becomes a must for every Korean. But why does it have to be boring? We can make it fashionable. Add a black mask to your all-black outfit giving you a gangsta vibe and take your fashion game to an all-time high, (oh also you can eww the bad people and still be nice because, you know the vibes, vibes). You can also accessorize it with mask holder chains or some bold graphics that speak your vibe along with the outfit.

Ankle Length Pants

Office work calling in the morning but also planned to hang out with friends in the evening and I know you won’t make rounds to your home to get changed so Ankle pants are your saviour. Gives you a formal style in the office while at the same time not sounding too formal as an outfit to have some drinks with your friends. You can pair your ankle pants with a nice top and a pair of sandals accompanied with minimal accessories and a “no-makeup” makeup look, overall fit making you look like you put the least effort to get ready in the morning but aren’t away from keeping up your style quotient.

In the end, I’d like to share with you that fashion is an art, not being philosophical but art can be created the way we want it to be. So fashion, I believe, is a great way to express yourself and the kind of vibes you want to put out in the world so with fashion own yourself, speak yourself (reminds me of BTS).