Walking down the streets of Hongdae in Seoul, the center of South Korea’s youthful nightlife, senior Daniel Ryu was surrounded by Korean urban street art and underground music; however, most of the people he saw were wearing American streetwear brands like Stussy, Supreme, Obey, Vans and Nike. These were also the brands he wore most often.

Two years later, when Ryu moved to America, he was surprised to see dozens of Americans wearing Korean fashion (K-fashion), especially at school. These items include overalls, tennis skirts, oversized sweaters and boxy graphic tees.

On a much larger scale, as Ryu had noticed in America, Korean trends have spread throughout the world and become prominent in more places than ever before — including the U.S.

Ryu noticed that both American and Korean fashion trends are swayed by music and entertainment, particularly hip hop, K-pop and K-hip hop. In Korea, K-pop idol celebrities, such as rapper G-Dragon and CL of former group 2NE1, are considered style icons, as some participate in fashion weeks around the world, pose for high-end magazines and collaborate with beauty companies.   

After visiting South Korea this past summer, sophomore Selena Liu has embodied K-fashion by following trends such as wearing high waisted bottoms, loose clothing tucked in and a banged hairstyle.

“I just felt like I needed to get a cleaner set of clothes so I wouldn’t look so shaggy all the time,” Liu said, referring to the more clean-cut style of Korean fashion.

Currently, the vogue in South Korea is to dress in a non-conforming way, including genderless clothing or more daring and bold outfits.

Senior Brandon Mo has noticed a global shift in fashion trends.

Mo said that in the past, most fashion has been centered around European fashion houses and recently it all transformed to New York and Los Angeles, where most of the Korean fashion scene is from.

Sophomore Nicole Chen has followed a similarly open mindset.

Originally from China, Chen chooses to dress with Asian influences because she feels “cuter” and more confident in the lighter and springy Asian attire compared to the more casual-comfy centric of stereotypical American fashion.

“I discovered that I look better in those styles instead of Western style,” Chen said.

While fashion on a global level seems to dominate the American trends, the Korean beauty industry shares an equal part of the craze.  

Liu observed that one of the most prominent beauty trends in South Korea was the natural look, a trend that highlights unfiltered beauty and is accentuated by whitening creams.

“[South] Korea isn’t like America where you have a bunch of foundation on — they prefer a more natural look,” Liu said.

Teenagers’ fashion taste have evolved and matured while reflecting their own ideals and unique tastes — a process that Korean fashion has been able to aid.

“The way you dress influences people — their self-confidence and the way others see them. It’s individuality,” said Mo.