Trends We Want to See in 2023
As the New Year progresses and comebacks are being announced, here are some styling trends we would love to see among idols this year!
Tooth Gems
Tooth gems have been popular in the Western world but have yet to be just as accepted in the world of K-Media. Among the Korean hip-hop scene, many people opt for grillz, the popular relative of the blinged-out tooth space. Tooth gems have seen a rise in popularity, specifically from 2022 onward, as Pinterest saw an 85% increase in searches on the app. Many artists such as FKA twigs, ROSALÍA, and Nia Archives have been seen sporting them over the last few years and they make a cute accessory.
The accessory’s semi-permanency would have it last during an idol’s promotional period, making it a fun alternative to a bigger accessory that needs to be removed. NCT 127’s Jungwoo was pictured with tooth gems during the group’s “질주 (2 Baddies)” promotions, the butterfly-styled gems standing out in his promotion pictures. Japanese girl group XG showed that there are various styles of tooth gems to try out, from a singular gem on one tooth to the designer braces style. The gems make for a high-spirited, fun approach to the modern day accessory.
Dyed Buzz Cuts
Back in 2018, we saw SHINee’s Key and PENTAGON’s Wooseok with spray-painted buzz cuts, however, the bold styling choice still hasn’t fully taken off. There were similar looks such as CIX member Seunghun’s short hot pink haircut and TREASURE member Hyunsuk’s shorter bleached style, but no one has yet tried a true buzz cut – besides those awaiting military service. The look allows for creativity with various shapes, designs, and colors ready to be explored and complete an outfit.
When NCT 127 spoke to Teen Vogue last month, rapper Mark expressed his interest in wanting to try out a buzz cut—a statement that earned some concern from his mother, who personally called his hairstylist and requested that he refrain from trying it out. But I think that it would be very neo of Mark to try the hairstyle (sorry Mark’s mum).
Blokecore
Following the FIFA World Cup last year, many influencers have been sporting global football tops in their day-to-day outfits, the aesthetic which has since been given the name “blokecore.” The connection between sports and fashion comes together in this look, and many UK-based artists such as Lava La Rue and slowthai have made their own before it became a “-core” designated trend. Woo goes into detail in an article where they discuss how the style and culture has been reclaimed from its Britpop origins, and how it expands diversity within classic football culture.
The laid back outfits would contrast the resurgence in K-Pop’s recent cyberpunk aesthetics and would allow for idols to perform in comfy attire. Despite the style not being new with idols (i.e. Stray Kids wearing a series of vintage football club t-shirts in their “My Pace” music video in 2018), the style would be fun to explore this year as football continues to mix with pop culture.
Edited by Omani