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Fashion Spotlight: pushBUTTON

Korean fashion has been in the spotlight around the world for it’s amazing eye for style and innovation. Fashionistas around the world find inspiration from Korea’s street style, Korean magazines, and artists. In this series, we will introduce you to people working in Korea’s fashion industry. Park Seung Gun is very quiet, quirky, and artistic. There […]

YG Entertainment and Authenticity in K-Pop

January 8, 2015/in Features, OPINION /by Joe Palmer

The idea of authenticity in pop music is always a contentious one. In the west, every effort is made to make sure the pop star is seen to be the real deal. While in Asia, the idol system is a transparent one in which the fans know young girls and boys train for years to […]

Fashion Spotlight: pushBUTTON

January 10, 2015/in Fashion, Fashion Spotlight /by Alejandro Abarca

YG Entertainment and Authenticity in K-Pop

January 8, 2015/in Features, OPINION /by Joe Palmer

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Fashion Spotlight: pushBUTTON

January 10, 2015/in Fashion, Fashion Spotlight /by Alejandro Abarca

Park Seung Gun is very quiet, quirky, and artistic. There aren’t many photos of hims because of his shy persona. His brand became his alter-ego where he could fully express himself. Korean fashion house pushButton came to exist in 2003, and in 2008 he expanded its brand to Europe and created an affordable sister brand called DRESSMONSTER. It wasn’t until 2010 that the brand was named one of the leaders in Korea’s fashion industry.

Park Seung Gun distinguished himself from other Korean designers by not only creating amazing garments, but also art pieces. His creative mind and artistic sensibility has led to amazing conceptual collections that are loved by netizens and Korean artists like Beenzino, Taemin, f(x), and CNBLUE.

Also on KultScene: Why ‘Yoo Heeyeol’s Sketchbook’ Works

pushBUTTON’s creations come from the designer’s fun and distorted creative mind. His keen eye for mixing colors, prints, and textiles sets him apart from the rest. He elaborates sophisticated pieces that have fun style lines, silhouettes, and experimental designs. He sometimes even creates social commentaries through his collections. Such was the case of his spring/summer 2012 collection that talked about how people see fame and where it can lead to, while still being in love with fame and desiring it. He used Amy Winehouse as his example, creating T-shirts that read “We Miss Amy”.

He delved into another topic that is very common in society, mistaking someone’s sexuality because of the way someone dresses. He played with female and male aesthetics to create a very androgynous collection. There was even a T-shirt with a message that read “I’m Not Gay.” This collection became a favorite in the K-pop world; even if the collection was simple, it made a bold statement. Some of the pieces appeared on EXO’s photoshoot for their single Mama. Moreover, some of the plaid outfits from his 2013 fall/winter collection were used on f(x)’s Rum Pum Pum Pum music video and promotions.

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Photo via SM Entertainment

Photos via pushBUTTON.com

His latest collection for spring/summer 2015 was inspired by mexican artist and icon Frida Kahlo. Frida always loved to have fun with the way she dressed and played with the idea of mixing womenswear with menswear, and that’s exactly what Park Seung Gun did. This collection was seen also on tv on Korea’s Next Top Model Cycle 5: Boys and Girls, where the contestants had the opportunity to walk the runway for pushBUTTON alongside supermodel Park Soo Joo.

Also on KultScene: YG Entertainment and Authenticity in K-Pop

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Take a look at some of his past collections below.

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pushBUTTON caters to fashion innovators; people that are looking for pieces that make bold statements and give a sense of uniqueness. His collections always keep classic feminine designs while still having an edge to them. His aesthetic has made him a favorite for Korean stylists like Han Ye Yun, celebrities like Kim Won Joon and Hyuna, and fashionistas all around the world.

: HyunA wearing pushBUTTON

: Lee Hi wearing pushBUTTON

: Kim Won Joon wearing pushBUTTON

: HyunA wearing pushBUTTON

: NaNa wearing pushBUTTON

: f(x) wearing pushBUTTON

Did you love pushBUTTON as much as we do? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.

YG Entertainment and Authenticity in K-Pop

January 8, 2015/in Features, OPINION /by Joe Palmer

The idea of authenticity in pop music is always a contentious one. In the west, every effort is made to make sure the pop star is seen to be the real deal. While in Asia, the idol system is a transparent one in which the fans know young girls and boys train for years to debut and are almost completely controlled by their company. YG Entertainment pride themselves on their more authentic than usual idols and roots in hip-hop. From the acquisition of rap royalty Epik High to the home grown writer producer G-Dragon to the real rappers of iKon, YG has continually put its faith in authentic talent. YG still deal in pop music though, and Yang Hyun Suk and producers like Teddy and Kush are well known as big parts of the music in the company.

Money making and authenticity tend to not go together well, but all pop music is made to make money. So can there be authentic pop music and is YG it? Is their style true or a clever marketing trick? I want to examine YG’s output of 2014 to try and get at some answers. I won’t necessarily be looking at the specific quality of the songs, although it can’t be avoided, but mostly how they were marketed compared to how authentic or interesting they turned out to be.

There is no doubt as to YG’s hip-hop roots being fairly legitimate. YG has come a long way since then however, and are now the second biggest music label in South Korea. In order to get to where they are now though, they have sacrificed some of their ideals in order to get ahead. The idea of authenticity has changed within the company as it becomes more focused on idol groups. The illusion of authenticity has proven to be more effective than putting the work into originality, and 2014 was the year it all came together.

Also on KultScene: YG Entertainment Wants You To Know It’s Different

Last year, YG debuted two new groups, AKMU and WINNER, and created a new one to debut later this year, iKON. Without even getting into the details of the groups, we can see a difference between them and YG’s roots. A lot of them come from talent shows; this immediately raises alarms about the authenticity of these groups. That’s not to say everyone who auditions at talent shows is inauthentic, but it is hard to find true artists through them. There are many talented singers, dancers, and rappers, but how many are the brand of supposed authentic that YG claims it wants?

Akdong Musician were one of these, and were a huge sensation after K-Pop Star. Their music appealed to the Korean market but brought with it an interesting undercurrent thanks to Lee Chanhyuk’s compositions and the vocal dynamic between him and Lee Suhyun. After winning the show, they had the choice themselves to choose between the big three companies. They chose YG explaining that they felt they could express themselves the best there. YG’s image was working for them before even signing Akdong to their label. I have no doubt about the talents of AKMU and they had the right idea by singing with YG, but I wonder if Akdong still feel the same today.

YG has taken the soul of what Akdong Musician are and diluted it with the “YG style.” This is a disservice not only to Chanhyuk and Suhyun but to fans who came to love Akdong’s original sound and image. Their debut single 200% was a generic soft hip-hop pop song which did nothing to showcase the possible talents of Akdong. They even made them dance for the live shows which looked awkward for all involved. They even changed their name to AKMU. It’s not all bad for Akdong though, as their other big song of the year, Melted, is an incredible social critique with a stripped back piano accompaniment, and one of the best music videos of the year.

While Akdong Musician were taken from outside of YG’s doors, WINNER were created in a reality show made by the company. WIN: Who is Next? followed two different boy groups made of YG trainees as they fought to debut as the first YG boy group since BIGBANG. They were Team A and Team B, with Team A eventually winning, being christened as WINNER and given a debut.

Pop music is a business, and in business, major companies do not take risks on letting the public have a say in their next move. So when a show like this runs, I can’t help but be sceptical. YG ultimately would have total control over what was shown and it would be naive to think that they wouldn’t have made edits in accordance with their own plans. Favour was more than likely thrown in Team A’s direction to keep in line with these. The fact that Bobby from Team B, or iKon now, couldn’t make the top team even though he is the hottest property on the K-pop market right now shows there was a plan for each group prior to shooting the show. Considering that YG had the ultimate say in who won confirms this to be nothing more than a vanity project attempting to showcase their authenticity.

I realise these are completely unfounded claims, but I can’t help but feel that show was completely manipulative. Putting these aside, I want to look at WINNER’s highly anticipated debut. The promo for it was one of the best ever seen in not only K-pop but all pop in recent years. It featured micro films with each member, short documentaries about their feelings leading up to their debut and even an incredibly produced instrumental track over interesting visuals. Everything was done in a consistently stylish and artful manner. Expectation was high for something truly interesting.

… Then they released a ballad.

Ballads are the safest, most mainstream and dull kind of song in all of K-pop. Ballads from drama soundtracks consistently top the charts and have been doing so more and more recently. So when WINNER, after the amazing build up, released Empty, I was severely disappointed. That’s not to say it’s necessarily a bad song, just a completely safe one considering the teasers and YG’s talk of WINNER being more than just a Korean group. So of course Empty went on to be a huge success making WINNER the fastest boy group to win a music program award and winning more awards at the MAMAs and Melon. As soon as YG saw the success they doubled down by releasing a solo song from WINNER’s rapper Mino, I’m Him which sounded like a rejected G-Dragon album cut.

Also on KultScene: Let’s Discuss: WINNER As A New Type Of Idol

I want to save any criticism or praise for iKon for when they properly debut. I will say however that Bobby seems to be trying to make a legitimate career for himself, but doesn’t see that he is now an idol because of this. Trying to distance himself from other idols won’t help him at all as it will only make him seem like a try-hard boy group member.

All of 2014’s releases stem from an apparent move from YG to become a more global company. Even Epik High have lost the personal touch that made their earlier music so good. With CL making her way over to America and PSY already achieving huge crossover success, YG can obviously see themselves as the biggest K-Pop players –in the U.S. at least.

In order to continue attacking the western market though, they are losing any sense of true authenticity in place of a corporate illusion of reality. They put the main focus of their groups on their supposed legitimate rappers to give a sense of originality to them. Yet when music is released, it is generic and uninteresting. YG has essentially tricked their fans into believing everything they do is true artistry, that everything they release comes 100 percent from the members themselves. In the pop music world, this is impossible. This is the true quality of YG, making corporate look authentic.

What do you think of YG’s authenticity? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.