6 BLACK PINK

NEWCOMERS

HOW DOES a band balance streetwear, glamour, and rock & roll all at the same time? When Blackpink dropped their much-anticipated “Pink Venom” video, not only did they prove it was possible, but they also compressed everything that makes them great into three minutes and 13 seconds: conceptual storytelling, distinct personal styles, and well-executed accessorizing. As Lisa raps with strutting self-awareness on their accompanying album, Born Pink, “Masked up, and I’m still in Celine/Designer crimes, or it wouldn’t be me.” It’s truth in advertising: Lisa is, in fact, a brand ambassador for the French fashion house. “Rather than emphasizing how cute or feminine they are,” a fan of the group told Rolling Stone for our 2022 Blackpink cover story, “Blackpink’s confidence seems to stem from certainty about themselves as individuals.” Their styles continue to evolve with the times. As the fashion world cycles back through the 1990s and 2000s, they’ve stayed a step ahead. In the video for “Shut Down,” they embrace trends like cropped jerseys, leather jackets, and low-rise jeans, while modernizing classic grunge ideas, like the way Jisoo wears a Givenchy stone-washed skirt set from the label’s fall-winter 2022 show. We can only anticipate what’s to come from Blackpink in the future, but for now, it’s clear that no band on the planet has merged so well with high-end fashion.