From breaking the wall to breaking the rules, ATEEZ’s Seonghwa is showing how he’s his own person through fashion and style.
Related: 7 K-pop Idols Who Slayed Their Runway Debuts At International Fashion Week Shows
Time and time again, we are reminded of how fashion and style go beyond the limits society has imposed on them. Anybody can wear anything, and gender or fashion norms matter much less than if someone feels comfortable and confident in what they’re wearing. K-pop as we know it has become a great example of impactful and barrier-breaking style, and K-pop idols have become style icons themselves.
Eight-member K-pop boy group ATEEZ has been known not to do things the way everybody else does. They’re versatile and multifaceted, and that’s reflected not just in their music, but also in their fashion. Several members have made their mark in the fashion scene, attending prestigious fashion events like Milan and Paris Fashion Week. Like his fellow member and fashion enthusiast Hongjoong, ATEEZ vocalist Seonghwa has been open about exploring a world of style that’s not limited by gender or stereotypes. And he’s killing it! Read on for proof.
BREAKING THE RULES
03092024
— 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏 ✉️ (@1117hwasstar) March 9, 2024
my first fancall with seonghwa and probably my last! ✨🎀 (sorry about the echoing)
/ᐢ⑅ᐢ\ ♡ ₊˚
꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ ♡‧₊˚ ♡
./づ~ :¨·.·¨: ₊˚
`·..·‘ ₊˚ ♡ pic.twitter.com/iTrfxcGhca
Seonghwa’s always been vocal about how, growing up, he had a fascination and appreciation for clothing, particularly women’s clothing. But he’s always been told by society in general that he can’t wear certain things because he’s a boy. Being limited from exploring all his options had him wondering why there were these rules and norms in the first place. Now that he’s an idol, and he’s free to explore a variety of styles available to him, he’s trying them all out and cheering on everyone who does the same.
GENDERLESS STYLE
seonghwa’s style in three words:
— seonghwa source (@pshsource) October 26, 2023
genderless, slender and sleek 🩶 pic.twitter.com/ECQce4p39d
Idols often wear garments from all points of the fashion spectrum for their comebacks, photoshoots, concerts, and more. They can go from dapper to edgy to schoolboy, glitzy to sexy to tattered (but in an intentional way) in one music video.
Seonghwa himself goes from futuristic to softboy-core in just a few Instagram posts. His ever-changing hair is also a staple of his, its cut and length varying and perfectly matched with the aesthetic he embodies with every ensemble.
You can pretty much get a grasp of your own style when you get to try on a whole bunch of them in rapid succession. So when asked to describe him and his own style, the vocalist and idol made it very clear: it’s genderless, slender, and sleek.
LIVING BOLDLY
Following members Hongjoong, San, and Wooyoung—who have also attended international Fashion Week events—Seonghwa made his Paris Fashion Week debut in late September 2024, attending the Isabel Marant Spring-Summer 2025 fashion show.
Seonghwa for Isabel Marant at Paris Fashion Show #SEONGHWA #성화 #IsabelMarant #IsabelMarantSS25 pic.twitter.com/xtJOdF59kb
— seonghwa source (@pshsource) September 29, 2024
Wearing a sleek, slender, and genderless monochromatic Isabel Marant ensemble, a brown dress over matching pants and heeled boots, Seonghwa lived out what is only the beginning of his fashion icon dreams in style.
PIECE BY PIECE
STOOOP SEONGHWA SHOWING OFF HIM WEARING THE SKIRT HES SO CUTE pic.twitter.com/QdrwlBOuXe
— lea #1 ribo (@KHJBASE) March 30, 2024
From denim skirts for performances to sequin gowns for a photoshoot, Seonghwa’s been building a wardrobe and style portfolio that’s a mix of cuts, styles, and designs. He’s worn heels, he’s worn skirts, he’s worn corsets and clothing traditionally deemed as “feminine”—and with each piece, he makes a statement.
ATEEZ for ELLE Singapore, October 2023
He’s down to try anything, doing away with any gendered norms of dress, patronizing unisex brands, and knowing who he is well enough to express it through his fashion.
PERSONAL EXPRESSION
Seonghwa:
— 🐇 (@NotBonkyP) October 5, 2024
“Everyone expected me to wear men’s clothes, but I saw in one of Isabel interviews, she mentioned how she is naturally drawn to women’s clothing. I feel the same way,”
“I believe that anyone, regardless of age or gender, should be able to wear the clothes that they + pic.twitter.com/ZrVIzjOCuX
Partnering with Isabel Marant was, as many ATINYs (ATEEZ fans) observed, a “match made in heaven.” As the designer herself puts it, “The Isabel Marant guy is at ease with his femininity.” Seonghwa’s talked about how he was drawn to women’s clothing and style several times before, and said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he believes “anyone, regardless of age or gender, should be able to wear the clothes that they want.”
“I find such joy in being able to express myself through clothes and fashion,” he said to THR. “With fashion, I can express and showcase another completely different side of myself that fully embraces and captures my personal story.”
X/ATEEZofficial
He’s not the first to do any of this by any means, and the discourse of fashion having no gender has long been discussed, but Seonghwa’s is a personal story of breaking free from the mold and not caring about what other people think in order to fully express himself through his unique style, gender and fashion norms be damned. If that’s not icon behavior, we don’t know what is.
Continue Reading: 8 Highlights from ATEEZ’s The Fellowship: Break The Wall Concert In Manila
