Bermuda’s name on K-pop lips
One of the globe’s biggest girl band sensations is putting ‘Bermuda’ on the charts of the fashion world.
The internet erupted this month when singer Lisa of the South Korean band BlackPink traded her adidas Samba sneakers in favour of the brand’s Bermuda line.
Dubbed the "biggest girl group in the world", BlackPink is considered the most successful Korean girl group internationally and one of the leaders of the Korean Wave.
Two photos of Lisa wearing the shoes received 7,447,161 likes on her Instagram page @lalalalisa_m. There were no explanatory words on the post; her head and face was mostly covered by a woolly scarf and the shoes were blurry.
Teen Vogue wrote: “So, it seems like the Sambas aren't going away anytime soon, but if you're looking for something new in 2024, why not take a cue from Lisa and try the Bermuda?”
The shoes were throwback, low-top sneakers in light pink with the adidas branding, three white stripes, on the sides.
IGTV News and MSN also carried the story on YouTube with IGTV News reporting: “I cannot get enough of this simple shoe”.
Lisa, whose real name is Lisa Manoban, has 100 million Instagram followers, and acts as a fashion ambassador for brands such as Bulgari and adidas.
However, Bermuda K-pop fans were less than impressed by the great footware switch of December 2023.
“It is a new style of sneaker that adidas put out,” said one fan who did not wish to be named. “I’m not really bothered by it. It’s an ugly shoe, in my opinion. However, K-pop fans will make it popular and it will sell out. BlackPink is a very popular group, and Lisa is very popular as a solo artist.”
“It’s not a Bermuda product per say, just a name on a shoe,” she said.
She had not seen the suede shoe for sale in Bermuda, but it bears a striking resemblance to a men’s adidas basketball shoe of decades ago.
Entrepreneur Answer Styannes, owner of Anijoy, was only just getting into K-pop music.
“I feel like the songs are certainly getting more popular,” she said. “I heard Jung Kook’s Standing Next To You, playing on the radio the other day. But I don’t know if people in Bermuda necessarily know that the songs are K-pop or if they can name the bands and singers. The younger crowd will probably know BlackPink and BTS.”
One of the group, Jennie, has started her own label and company, Odd Atelier, and she is releasing solo music.
Jennie made her acting debut in the HBO drama series The Idol and was named an honorary Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire along with her BlackPink bandmates.
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