Fashion Industry Insider Roasts BELIFT Lab’s Claim Of Creating “ILLIT-Core”

Amidst the ongoing rift between HYBE and ADOR’s CEO Min Hee Jin, another HYBE subsidiary, BELIFT Lab, has gotten deeply involved after Min accused the label of copying NewJeans’ concept and strategies for ILLIT. BeLift tried to refute the claims through a long video on June 10, but the response they received was not favorable.

Netizens felt that the arguments raised by BELIFT in their rebuttal were insufficient and failed to counter the accusations. One of the key parts of the video, which then became a topic of debate was the term “ILLIT-core.” While explaining that BeLift carefully designed the concept of ILLIT to avoid being compared to NewJeans, their visual director claimed that ILLIT’s styling and visuals were so unique that the fashion industry started to call it “ILLIT-core.”

The very next day after the video was released, a fashion industry insider left a scathing comment under the video, questioning the validity of this claim. The individual pointed out that even for South Korea’s top fashion icon, G-Dragon, no similarly associated term was used in the industry.

“I work in the fashion industry, and I’m wondering which sector of the fashion world is using the term “ILLIT-core.” I’ve been in the industry for several years and worked on multiple seasonal launches, but I’ve never heard of this term. Even NewJeans, which has significantly influenced fashion among women in their teens and twenties, has never had a term like ‘NewJeans-core’ coined. Similarly, even South Korea’s top icon, GD, has never had a term like ‘GD-core’ associated with him.”

— The comment poster

The industry professional went on to explain how terms like “-core” are created and applied in the context of fashion, elaborating on why ILLIT’s fashion so far cannot have a similar coinage.

“ILLIT’s outfits are just stage costumes that the general public can’t wear casually outside. The term “core” in fashion, as seen in terms like “Golfcore,” “Blockcore,” “Balletcore,” and “Girlcore,” typically originates from the term “Normcore,” where “norm” stands for “normal.” ILLIT’s stage outfits are not natural enough in style to be labeled with “core”—they’re just flashy stage costumes.

Ultimately, I don’t believe ILLIT has yet become a trendsetting idol group that can dominate the fashion scene to the extent of warranting a term like “ILLIT-core.” I doubt that brands would use them as a reference during their seasonal planning meetings. I also don’t think many consumers would think, “I want to buy Eyelet’s stage outfits,” because they are clearly far from everyday wear.”

— The comment poster

Lastly, the comment concluded by saying that the ILLIT members are talented and have immense potential to grow into influential idols. But at this stage in their career, using terms such as “ILLIT-core” sticks out as forced.

After a Theqoo post highlighting this comment went viral, netizens expressed their agreement with the commenter. A user even attached a picture of them searching “ILLIT-core” on social media, which yielded no significant results, supporting the commenter’s argument.

• “Super embarrassing.”
• “I agree with every single word (of the commenter).”
• “ILLIT Core? What are they saying, LOL? The pajama-style stage costumes are tacky and not even pretty. Who is going to follow and wear the same thing, LOL? Tch.”
• “ILLIT’s director is talking nonsense. I guess she wanted her final outcome to get that kind of response, LOL.”
• “Hee Jin-core, let’s go!”

Meanwhile, BeLift Lab has been constantly facing criticism since they posted the video refuting Min Hee Jin’s accusations. Netizens also discovered that the label had used edited images to prove that they did not plagiarize a NewJeans photoshoot. You can read more about it here.