30 Nostalgic Photos That Capture Youth Fashion on the Streets of South Korea in the 1990s

Enter Korean Pop (K-Pop) in the 1990s to put its indelible stamp on K-Fashion and K-Beauty culture. The first K-Pop group, Seo Tae-ji and Boys led this era of Korean fashion with their rap and hip-hop style, a new music trend at the time. Other western music and fashion style mixes such as grunge were adopted by the youth named ‘resistance fashion’.

Not far behind, the makeup industry grew with the emergence of new products such as BB creams, skin lightening lotions, and skin tightening creams. The simple applications and selection diverged from western makeup trends. K-Pop celebrities, the new icons of beauty, influenced the culture of body and skin/appearance consciousness. Full covering foundations, simple eye makeup, and pastel/natural-looking colours has become the makeup style of today. Korean men have also become involved with makeup trends often wearing foundation or BB cream.

Since 2000 to the present, K-Fashion and K-Beauty products and culture continue to have an impact on the global market. Armed with smartphones and internet accessibility, the domestic and global consumer has access to Korean fashion and beauty products that show no signs of retreat in the competitive market.