G-Dragon No. 1, RM No. 3, Lee Hyori No. 7, Oh Hyuk No. 9… U.S. Complex Magazine’s “Best-Dressed K-Pop Artists of All Time” [K-EYES]

*This content was translated by AI.

Seo Taiji No. 4, J-Hope No. 8, Curtis Martin No. 19, Um Jung-hwa No. 22… In the reader-recommended rankings, J-Hope surged to No. 3

U.S. pop culture media outlet Complex (Complex.com) selected the “Top 25 Best-Dressed K-Pop Artists of All Time.” BIGBANG’s G-Dragon took first place. RM of the group BTS ranked third, Lee Hyori seventh, Oh Hyuk of the band Hyukoh ninth, and Um Jung-hwa also made the list at No. 22.

Complex released its ranking of the “Top 25 Best-Dressed K-Pop Artists of All Time” on September 24 (local time). The outlet explained that it evaluated artists based not only on their activities this year but on their entire careers, taking into account style diversity, trendsetting power, and consistency.

The editorial team’s No. 1 pick was BIGBANG’s G-Dragon. Complex introduced G-Dragon as “the first K-pop artist to be personally selected by Karl Lagerfeld to represent Chanel, a relationship that continues to this day.” BLACKPINK’s Jennie ranked second, RM third, Seo Taiji fourth, and BLACKPINK’s Lisa fifth. J-Hope was eighth.

The remaining rankings were: No. 6 BIGBANG’s Taeyang, No. 7 Lee Hyori, No. 9 Hyukoh’s Oh Hyuk, No. 10 2NE1’s CL, No. 11 BLACKPINK’s Rosé, No. 12 BIGBANG’s T.O.P, No. 13 Groveroom’s Lil Moshi Fit (Lee Hwi-min), No. 14 NewJeans’ Hyein, No. 15 AKMU’s Lee Chan-hyuk, No. 16 Katseye’s Lara, No. 17 All Day Project’s Any, No. 18 Stray Kids’ Felix, No. 19 Curtis Martin, No. 20 NewJeans’ Hani, No. 21 Giant, No. 22 Um Jung-hwa, No. 23 Tomorrow X Together’s Federal Reserve, No. 24 aespa’s Ningning, and No. 25 NCT’s Jaehyun.

It was also notable that bands and producers made the idol-centric list. Complex described Oh Hyuk as “a figure who reminds us that there is much more to show in the Korean music scene beyond K-pop,” introducing his style of matching seemingly worn, natural suits and workwear with vintage items and Converse high-tops. It labeled Um Jung-hwa “Korea’s Madonna” and Lee Hyori “Korea’s Britney Spears.”

Regarding BTS’s RM, the outlet assessed that he has practiced a style featuring soft tailoring and calm color palettes even before the term “quiet luxury” was coined. It noted that Bottega Veneta selecting him as its first celebrity ambassador in 2023 was also because it aligned well with the brand’s emphasis on logo-free craftsmanship.

Regarding J-Hope, Complex stated that his off-duty style reveals a personal interest in fashion and streetwear. It reported that he was appointed Louis Vuitton House Ambassador in 2023 and released pink suede sneakers engraved with “HOPE” in 2025.

The twist came from the reader vote. Complex opened a voting feature allowing readers to react to each ranking as “underrated,” “agree,” or “overrated,” along with a function for readers to directly re-rank the 25th artists. As of the 1st, 270,296 votes had been collected, and 1,322 people had re-ranked the list.

In the community rankings reflecting these results, G-Dragon maintained his No. 1 spot. Fifty-eight percent of readers who responded to that item agreed with the editorial team’s selection. However, things changed from second place onward. RM rose one spot to No. 2, and J-Hope jumped five spots to take No. 3. Jennie was named the most overrated figure, as 82% of responding readers chose “ranked too high,” and she dropped to No. 8 in the community rankings. J-Hope was also classified as having the most divided opinions, with 23% voting underrated, 36% agreeing, and 41% voting overrated.

In addition, BIGBANG’s T.O.P was named the most underrated figure, as 25% of responding readers answered that he “deserves more recognition than No. 12,” and he rose to No. 10 in the community rankings. Meanwhile, 2NE1’s CL recorded a rise of four spots to No. 6, while Lisa dropped to No. 9.

Complex explained that each season, the front row of Fashion Week is filled by idols with ambassador contracts, noting that K-pop has grown into a global trend influencing culture as a whole, including art, film, and fashion.

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*This content was translated by AI.