BLACKPINK has a new artistic director: the Japanese graphic artist Verdy. One of the buzziest names in the Tokyo art scene, Verdy will create an exclusive capsule collection for the girl group in conjunction with their Born Pink World Tour.
We don’t have too much information on the collection yet, but a press release describes Verdy’s intent to create “a world that merges his distinct artistic touch with BLACKPINK’s ultra-feminine aesthetic.” Blackpink isn’t the first major collab Verdy has worked on, having worked with brands such as Nike, Human Made, Instagram, Levi’s, The Minions, Coachella, Dover Street Market, and more. He is known for his projects Girls Don’t Cry, Wasted Youth, his panda-rabbit character Vick, and most recently Visty.
Back in April, Verdy shared a snap of himself with BLACKPINK’s Lisa, Jennie, Jisoo, and Rosé after attending their show, but little did fans know it was a hint of a future project.
The Born Pink World Tour has been ongoing since 2022 and will continue through the end of August. Remaining dates throughout the summer include two shows in Syndey, Australia, a massive show at Saint-Denis’ Stade De France, two nights at New Jersey’s Metlife Stadium, one night at Paradise, Nevada’s Allegiant Stadium, another at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, and finally a closing show at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.
Last year, the tour’s creative director Amy Bowerman spoke to NME about the process behind working on the largest tour in the history of K-Pop girl groups. “BLACKPINK really know their audience, and what works for them, so they had a lot of feedback for us with what works where,” she explained. “They’re very on top of and connected with the music. They were the ones in charge of their setlist, so we knew the main tracks we wanted to work with, and then it was [about] what songs go well [with them]. It was really natural, pulling together the setlist.”
Visit BLACKPINK’s site for tour information.
