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BIGBANG’s G-Dragon teams up with Nike, promotes genderless fashion with 'Kwondo 1'

K-pop star G-Dragon collaborates with Nike to drop his latest limited edition shoe collection Peaceminusone x Nike Kwondo 1

BIGBANG is known as one of the pioneers of K-pop. Apart from laying the foundation for the Hallyu Wave and for K-pop to go global, BIGBANG was one of the first few K-pop acts to branch out of music into other fields like fashion. In fact, the leader of the group, G-Dragon became one of the first K-pop brand ambassadors when Chanel roped him to endorse their brand. Many people claim that the concept of promoting luxury fashion houses in the East was due to G-Dragon’s successful collaboration with Chanel. His reputation as a fashion icon still holds to this day and he has now teamed up with Nike to promote genderless fashion.

G-Dragon, one of the highest-paid K-pop artists has been the face of several brands like Kappa, Hyundai, Nike and Samsung. When it comes to art, the BIGBANG star has dabbled in everything from photography to fine art, having held art exhibitions and teamed up with Vogue for limited edition collections and pop-up stores. After finishing his military enlistment in 2019, Nike approached him again for a new shoe collection. They released the Peaceminusone x Air Force 1 Para-Noise. Now, they have once again collaborated for a second collection.

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G-Dragon teams up with Nike for Kwondo 1

G-Dragon became the first K-pop artist to collaboratively release a collection with Nike. The latest shoe collection is a collaboration between his clothing label Peaceminusone and Nike. Called Peaceminusone x Nike Kwondo 1, the collection is a combination of traditional sneakers and formal shoes like brogues. The Nike logo has been upgraded from the black tick to colorful ones like pink, blue and green. 

But what stood out was the inspiration behind the collection as G-Dragon explains, “Kwondo 1 stands for women/men, sports/formal, and everything that is simply divided into dichotomy, and free movement that can be expressed in anything... through this inclusive message and design, we encourage you to break down all boundaries defined by society and create your own rules and future.”

The name 'Kwondo 1' is a play on the words taekwondo, Nike’s ‘just do it’ slogan and G-Dragon’s real name Kwon Ji-yong. The limited-edition collection only has 111 pairs and will go on sale on Nike’s website and other select stores on December 3. Fans were touched as G-Dragon gifted pairs to BIGBANG member Taeyang, and his friends and family.

'The gift that keeps on giving'

Fans have been trending #GDRAGON as they hyped up the collection. One fan shared, “Jiyong has always looked good in red.” Another tweeted, “You mean we have long haired jiyong + talking jiyong + a face reveal all in one day??? KIIIONDO THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.” One added, “This man has been relentlessly lied on, talked about, & even been stabbed in the back. Not one time did he respond with malice. He just keeps working & waiting ✌🏾 𝐆𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘.” Another posted, “No because for once an idol actually DID say f*ck the binary.” One simply commented, “Ladies and gentlemen... HIM.”