K-Pop Fashion Inspiration: EXO’s “Ko Ko Bop” Music Video

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This week’s K-pop fashion inspiration comes from none other than EXO, a South Korean-Chinese boy group that made its debut in 2012. 

Originally a 12-member group that was divided into two subgroups (EXO-K and EXO-M, performing in both Korean and Mandarin), EXO now consists of 9 members. 

When it comes to the numbers, these boys don’t play. EXO’s first album sold over one million copies, making EXO the first Korean artist to do so in 12 years. Moreover, tickets for their first concert sold out in 1.47 seconds, breaking the record for the fastest sold-out concert by a Korean artist and solidifying their popularity. Their most popular songs are “Growl” and “Call Me Baby”, having more than 140,000,000 views each on YouTube. 

This summer, they returned to the K-pop stage with their fourth studio album, The War, which is the fastest-selling and most-preordered album in the history of South Korean music. Its lead single is “Ko Ko Bop”, a unique reggae-EDM hybrid that derives its title from a children’s clapping game, “Down Down Baby”. 

Check out the music video below:

EXO 엑소 'Ko Ko Bop' MV

The music video is quite unlike anything I’ve seen before, full of trippy imagery, lighting, and effects. There were lots of takeaways on a fashion level for me, especially with all the bright neon colors and prints. 

Here are three looks inspired by the music video:

EXO Ko Ko Bop Video Fashion – Outfit 1

EXO Ko Ko Bop video - The boys sitting on the roof of a burger joint
EXO Ko Ko Bop Video Fashion - Outfit with burger tee shirt, ripped mom jeans, platform Keds, blue palm tree print headband

Products: Shirt – Etsy, Jeans – H&M, Shoes – Keds, Headband – ASOS

One thing that stood out to me in this music video was definitely the flying burgers, which was more than enough to inspire this outfit. 

I paired a cheeseburger graphic t-shirt with distressed boyfriend jeans, platform canvas sneakers, and a palm tree headband (shout-out to the palm trees in the music video).

EXO Ko Ko Bop Video Fashion – Outfit 2

EXO Ko Ko Bop Video - Redheaded member sitting in a blue convertible car
EXO Ko Ko Bop Video Fashion - Outfit with an off-the-shoulder floral dress in pink, palm tree hoop earrings, floral temporary tattoo, blue sunglasses, orange and yellow patterned espadrille flats

Products: Dress – ASOS, Earrings – Forever 21, Shoes – Sam Edelman, Sunglasses – Forever 21, Temporary tattoo – Etsy 

There are obviously lots of nature motifs in this music video (trees, water, flowers, etc.) that invoke feelings of summer. 

So for this next look, I took the nature feel to the next level with a bright pink floral, off-the-shoulder dress and palm tree drop earrings. For extra color, I added cool blue aviator sunglasses, temporary tattoos (just like the boys in the music video), and espadrille sandals. 

EXO Ko Ko Bop Video Fashion – Outfit 3 

EXO Ko Ko Bop Video - the boys doing a dance routine wearing striped shirts and navy pants
EXO Ko Ko Bop Video Fashion - Outfit with navy blue joggers, a striped button-down shirt in blue and white, white oxford mules, black oversized sunglasses

Products: Shirt – H&M, Pants – ASOS, Shoes – Steve Madden, Sunglasses – Forever 21, Necklace – Topshop 

It’s all about the blues and stripes for this look. First I took a striped cotton shirt and styled it with woven navy pants and white loafers. For extras, I added black cat-eye sunglasses and a rhinestone bandana choker, creating a sophisticated, chic look. 

What Do You Think? 

What did you think about the music video? Which look is your favorite? Who should I cover next? Leave your comments below!  

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