Behind BTS's "ARIRANG" Looks: SONGZIO on Identity, Heritage and K-Fashion

"The moment you chase trends, a brand loses its identity. K-fashion needs to build its own characters and stories, the way BTS has."

That is how Song Jae-woo , the 32 year old creative director of SONGZIO, one of Korea's first-generation designer labels, sums up his approach. "For a designer, the most important question is always, 'Why did you design it this way?'".

Song found himself in the global fashion spotlight after creating the stage looks for BTS's comeback live show "ARIRANG," held in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul.

The concept behind BTS's stage wardrobe is now well known. Song assigned each member a character based on their individual image: RM as "the hero," Jin as "the artist," SUGA as "the architect," J-hope as "the sorikkun," or traditional Korean vocalist, Jimin as "the poet," V as "the doryeong," a young nobleman from Korea's Joseon era, and Jungkook as "the pioneer."

"Because the show was in Gwanghwamun, we set the big frame around highlighting something distinctly Korean," Song said. "I made those calls purely on visual instinct, without leaning on their personal tastes or background." But for that instinct to translate into something convincing for the person wearing the clothes, every detail has to have a clear reason behind it.

To find those reasons, Song spent considerable time talking with the BTS members. "They were actively giving feedback right up until the day before the show, and that let us refine even the smallest details," he said.

The production window was about two months. Song designed looks not only for all seven BTS members but also for the traditional master singers, musicians and dancers who joined the stage, creating roughly 70 pieces in total. Designers typically spend up to a year preparing a runway collection, which made the timeline especially tight. A team of about 20, including Song himself, worked on the pieces until the final moments before the performance.

SONGZIO has long drawn on the figure of the Korean "doryeong" as its central motif. The brand's strength lies in reinterpreting the elegant silhouettes of East Asian dress in a modern key. BTS, in a similar way, has leaned into its outsider identity rather than chasing Western trends.

"What this collaboration reminded me of is that K-fashion also has to be rooted in its own identity," Song said. "With Korean content getting global attention right now, this is the moment for K-fashion to expand overseas."

SONGZIO is doing exactly that. The brand opened a flagship store in Paris in 2024 and will open a New York store in October. "When we pushed distinctly Korean elements into BTS's stage looks, the response from overseas fans was even stronger," Song said. "We plan to bring the aesthetic and lifestyle we stand for to the global market."