BLACKPINK’s Jisoo has been swept up in a dispute after an overseas designer claimed she failed to return loaned outfits.
Recently, Benjamin Botmans, designer of Antwerp-based fashion brand Judasim, alleged on his social media that he had not received back some of the outfits sent to Jisoo’s side for six months. He added, "We handed multiple looks to the Korean team for Jisoo’s album cover shoot, but the schedule kept getting pushed back," and said, "We never received any clear explanation or response."
Botmans appealed that "the outfits are key pieces from my collection and the production costs were significant," and expressed frustration, saying he even sent invoices and a contract demanding their return but got no reply. In the process, he tagged Jisoo’s social media account to deliver the message asking for the outfits back.
After the controversy grew, Botmans posted an additional video saying the situation had partially progressed. According to him, "We were contacted by the U.S. side saying everything is being resolved," and he "heard someone would be dispatched to Korea to retrieve the items." Still, he added, he had not been told "why the schedule kept being delayed or why there was no response for such a long time."
He also drew a line, saying this was not a personal attack on Jisoo. Botmans explained, "I had no intention of attacking Jisoo. Her name appeared on the emails and materials related to the shoot, so I mentioned it to get a response." He pointed to the team’s handling as the problem, saying, "Considering the time and effort young designers put into their work, being ignored without a reply for six months is incredibly difficult."
In closing, responding to the barrage of hostile messages he received, he said he "would not apologize," adding, "I hope this prompts Jisoo’s team to treat others better going forward and to respond responsibly when issues arise."
Meanwhile, Jisoo’s side has not issued a separate official statement regarding the unreturned outfits claim.