BTS scored major points in the fashion department, supporting independent brands and designers at their World Cup group debut.
South Korean music group BTS added yet another major milestone to their career at the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The septet, consisting of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, took over the stage at the New York New Jersey Stadium to perform at the first-ever World Cup Halftime Show. The trailblazing band shared the historic moment with music icons Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber.
As expected, the team owned the stage with their performance—a football rendition of “Dynamite,” the group’s 2020 earworm that hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks. However, their stage presence and, by extension, their style, couldn’t go unnoticed. The members of BTS, after all, are collectively and individually recognized as fashion forces and trendsetters.
Showing a united front and supporting independent brands
Dressed in a color palette that nodded to their most recent release, Arirang, as well as their home country’s football team and supporters, “The Red Devils,” the group put an audacious spin on this season’s dominant Blokecore trend. Blokecore, in case you need a quick 101, is a style that reimagines codes from British football culture and subcultures like the mods and the casuals for today’s sartorial preferences. The aesthetic pairs football motifs and staples such as team kits, shorts and sneakers with trendy items to create everyday looks that live beyond the football stadiums and sports settings.
Channeling this energy, BTS wore coordinated custom ensembles in different combinations of white, red and black. The outfits featured football motifs such as team crests and numbered jerseys and South Korean football symbols (including the tiger from the national team’s logo and the red devil representing the supporters’ official club). Contemporary pieces like racing-style jackets, cargo pants and modern footwear complemented BTS’ wardrobe.
Despite boasting individual associations with major fashion houses, BTS opted for highlighting the craftsmanship and creativity of independent designers and emerging brands. Each look, styled by the styling duo HARDSTYLE, featured items specially commissioned for the occasion.
RM and Jungkook went Bikercore
RM, the band’s leader, wore a custom look by the London-based LUEDER. The ensemble was inspired by a look from designer Marie Lueder’s Fall/Winter 2026 runway “Ghosts of My Life,” presented last February at London Fashion Week. It consisted of paneled pants and a three-quarter zip jacket. The matching set featured red piping contrasting against panels of black nylon, evoking sportswear and racing codes, as well as RM’s penchant for all things experimental but demure. The BTS frontman completed his look with chunky AKMÉ footwear and futuristic cat-eye glasses by the Berlin-based creative project Kuboraum.
The group’s youngest, Jungkook, who returned to the World Cup stage for the second time in his career, took the racercore route for the occasion. His ensemble combined black relaxed-fit pants and a burgundy tank top layered under a custom leather jacket by Courtney McWilliams’ DIRT. The piece fit perfectly with Jungkook’s bikercore sensibilities and included geometric panels of black, white and red leather.
BTS’ styling team punctuated the look with silver accents, including a large, glitzy buckle belt with the group’s initials and football-inspired earrings. Bringing back last year’s obsession with scarf belting and accessorizing, Jungkook also wore a printed silk scarf by Courtney McWilliams tied at the waistband and a chunky necklace with his name. Jungkook’s outfit was complete with shield sunglasses by the Italian luxury brand Proper Eyewear.
Jin, Taehyung and Suga: football as storytelling
Chinese brand J-E-CAI outfitted BTS’ oldest member Jin in a monochrome red ‘fit that mixed a shirt jacket, leather cargo pants and a matching tank top. A black fringed scarf tied to the belt loop brought a subtle contrast to Jin’s ensemble. Elevating the one-hued get-up to football territory were team crest and BTS logo patches adorning the front of his jacket.
J-E-CAI also created Taehyung’s red leather trousers, which he wore alongside a black top and a vintage Dirk Bekkembergs jacket—an apt nod to football culture as the Antwerp Six designer worked at the intersection of fashion and sports and was the first designer to present fashion shows at the Milan and Barcelona Stadiums. Bekkembergs even outfitted Inter de Milan, Malaga CF, and the Slovenian National football squad, among other football teams.
Taehyung topped off the outfit with a statement red belt by Eden Tan and one of Courtney McWilliams’ custom square silk scarves folded in half and wrapped around his waist.
Rapper Suga, who’s famously recognized as a football enthusiast, looked in his element, dressed in a jacket by the Cult British streetwear brand Palace. The white item featured a team crest and BTS’ recognizable number 7 on the back. The rapper styled the jacket with red leather pants from the VAIN Spring/Summer 2027 collection and boots by the New York-based AKME.
Jimin and J-Hope were all about the classic Blokecore look
Jimin stood out in a total white look enhanced with pops of red. His outfit consisted of paneled J-E-CAI pants that tapped into the multiple waistband trend popularized in recent years—worn with the corresponding stacked belts, of course. The singer also sported an Agro Studio jersey, layered under a long-sleeve top. The piece featured all the classic football elements: lettering, crests and even a ball patch on the sleeve. As a beauty highlight, the singer wore his shoulder-length hair into a half-up, half-down hairstyle.
J-Hope, meanwhile, donned wide-legged pants from Arashi Yanagawa’s brand John Lawrence Sullivan. Leaning into the most classic Blokecore item, the singer complemented the pants with a custom T-shirt from the Korean streetwear brand Protocol Index. The piece could easily pass as an actual football jersey, which felt particularly on brand for the occasion. As for accessories, J-Hope wore a dangling silk scarf and fingerless gloves.
BTS and football-inspired jewelry
All members of BTS topped off their World Cup get-ups with jewelry by the London jeweller DOSIS G6C. The family-owned business has previously created jewelry for the likes of Lady Gaga, Tyla and FKA Twigs.
Each of the pieces worn by BTS found inspiration in football culture and signature elements such as referee whistles, balls and the stars associated with the World Cup champions. The jewelry lineup also featured personalized elements for each member, including name initials.
All in all, BTS served major fashion and football energy, proving why sports have become such an ideal backdrop for style statements.
