Official K-pop shirts have sucked for years. Fans are changing that

I didn’t plan to leave an XG concert with a $35 souvenir sports towel, but here we are.

I’ll back up. XG is a Japanese girl group — a shining example of how international acts are gaining popularity within K-pop. They’re one of the most musically and visually impactful units right now, stylized like futuristic anime characters from a galaxy far, far away. Their rapping, dancing and singing skills are top-class.

At the group’s two-night stint at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium last month, eager fans waited in long queues to purchase official XG concert merchandise — picture cards, light sticks, even a special line of XG Tamagotchi toys.

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The shirts for sale, however, were less haute couture and more hot mess. There was a tie-dyed monstrosity with haphazardly placed graphics; the other shirt was a blue/gray number with a barely noticeable “XG” logo embroidered over the heart. Having no use for a Tamagotchi (I’m 58), functionality won over fashion. A black sports towel emblazoned with the title of their fandom, “ALPHAZ,” was my souvenir from the event. I regretted it immediately.

Lazily executed merch is a trend in K-pop that has gone unchecked for years. As thoughtful and detailed as the rest of the industry can be — from the music production and choreography to videos and CD packaging — the official concert T-shirt is probably the last thing K-pop management companies think about.

A TikTok complaint about (G)-IDLE’s $50 excuse for a shirt was spot-on: “I’m absolutely shocked how bad the merch is,” said TikTok creator Avachs. “There’s no way it’s just a shirt with a star in front of it.”

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Leave it to the fans to fill a need.

There is a growing segment of small, Bay Area independent businesses led by true K-pop fans that are outperforming the sanctioned versions. The San Mateo Event Center recently hosted KPLAY! Fest, a traveling K-pop fandom gathering that also drew many local artisans displaying their wares, many far more creative and thoughtful than the official (boring) versions.

One of the more popular retailers selling shirts was Onestar, a San Leandro-based T-shirt line with eye-popping graphics reminiscent of design firm Pen & Pixel’s Southern rap album covers in the ‘90s. Many of the top K-pop groups — NewJeans, ATEEZ, BTS, Twice, Le Sserafim, Enhypen — are featured with immaculately groomed idols jumping off the shirt. Onestar also drills down to popular individual group members like Le Sserafim’s Kim Chaewon and Huh Yunjin.

Onestar used to focus on Valoriant video game T-shirts before transitioning to K-pop in January of this year, said owner Shannon Hung. She acknowledged her price point ($35 and up) is on the level of official merch, but hers are much more thought out and better quality than the mass-produced versions.

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Upcoming Bay Area K-pop concerts

Seventeen

The 13-member boy group is an unstoppable force in K-pop whose worldwide appeal skyrocketed in 2024, headlining Lollapalooza in Berlin, and becoming the first K-pop group invited to play the grand Glastonbury festival in the U.K. They’ll be in Oakland for two nights minus two members — Jeonghan, who is fulfilling his mandatory Korean military service, and Jun, because of acting commitments. Even with 11 members, Seventeen can amply fill the arena stage with their killer moves, singing and rapping. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, Nov. 5-6. Tickets start at $69. Oakland Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. www.theoaklandarena.com

Young Posse

The girl group exploded on the scene with viral hits that mix K-pop with G-funk (“Ate That,” “XXL”) and Southern trap (“Macaroni Cheese”). It’ll be interesting to see how their campy style and fun videos translate to the live stage. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5. $58-$277. Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St., S.F. www.victoriatheatre.org

Gemini

It’s cuffing season, and no better artist to get cozy with than R&B singer Gemini. He’s touring behind his new EP “In Too Deep” which features the sumptuous single “365” with Junny. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 6. $60-$240. The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. www.theuctheatre.org

Dreamcatcher

For those who like glamorous K-pop sprinkled with hard rock, Dreamcatcher is one of the best to do it. 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 17. $63-$164. Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway Ave., Oakland. www.paramountoakland.org

Fifty Fifty

The girl group was flying high in 2023 with an international smash (“Cupid”) and a song on the “Barbie” soundtrack (“Barbie Dreams”) before they were grounded by lineup changes. Main rapper Keena is the sole original member left from the “Cupid” era. What are the chances of them regaining momentum? Hopefully better than 50/50. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 27. $50-$147. Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon St., S.F. www.palaceoffinearts.com

Kiss of Life

One of the hottest breakout groups of 2024, Kiss of Life attracts fans with sweet vocals and daring booty-shaking choreography. “Sticky” was one of the songs of the summer, and they’re already at Warfield-levels of popularity. 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. $210-$863. The Warfield, 982 Market St., S.F. www.thewarfieldtheatre.com

Hannah Bahng

She may be the younger sister of Stray Kids leader Bang Chan, but Hannah more than holds her own as an indie singer-songwriter. She embraces dark topics in a cool assertive way on “The Abysmal” EP. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. $35-$135. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St., S.F. www.rickshawstop.com

Billlie

The girl group with three L’s in their name (whose origin story is too long to tell here) returns with renewed strength and a jazzy track penned by superstar songwriter/actress IU, “Remembrance Candy.” 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. $29-$122. The UC Theatre, 2036 University Ave., Berkeley. www.theuctheatre.org

Wonho

Upon completion of his mandatory military service, the former Monsta X singer returns to live appearances for his U.S. “fan meetup” tour. Expect a few songs, a Q&A, and fun games. 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17. $71-$204. August Hall, 420 Mason St., S.F. www.augusthallsf.com

Aespa

Veterans of San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival, Aespa (and their avatars) make the big leap to the “next level” — the arena. Their interstellar concepts and wall-to-wall bangers make this a hot winter ticket. 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30. Oakland Arena, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. Tickets start at $119. www.theoaklandarena.com

“K-pop fans feel strongly and will spend a lot of money just to support their favorites, whether it's one member or a whole group,” Hung noted. “That's where my business really shines. I want people to be able to show their love of one specific group, or their ‘bias’ (K-pop-speak for favorite member).”

Justin Diones drove from Sacramento to KPLAY! Fest in San Mateo to represent his T-shirt brand, Michin Market. It produces clever tees that take inspiration from pro sports and Asian pop culture. There’s a fun Las Vegas Raiders/Twice “Once Nation” flip in silver and black like the NFL team, and a Los Angeles Lakers/Le Sserafim NBA/K-Pop mashup. A tote bag shows the NewJeans bunny mascot with reframed branding in homage of White Rabbit, the popular Chinese milk candy — doubling the Asian pop culture factor.

Diones said he was frustrated by the price of official concert shirts, and how fans would have to wait in long lines for low quality designs. In 2019, he and his friends wore their own self-made artist shirts at K-pop’s biggest industry convention, KCON, in Los Angeles and received positive feedback. Two years later, he began selling them online and at conventions like KPLAY! Fest, which is also hosted in Los Angeles, Orange County and Dallas.

Michin Market keeps their prices lower ($25) than typical concert shirts, which can range from $35 to $50, but they’re keepsakes fans will want to wear, Diones said.

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“I want my shirts to be super accessible to people, because a lot of fans get priced out,” he emphasized. “The memory-making is super important for me.”

Also incorporating a sports theme, Sacramento’s Cortez Cain was showcasing his line of K-pop-inspired football jerseys at KPLAY! Fest. The roomy jerseys, stitched with each group's primary color preferences, are popular with dancers and style-conscious fans who want to flex their fandom beyond just T-shirts.

“We put so much thought into our designs because we love the groups so much,” said Cain. “I truly think we're the backbone of fandom culture.”

There is a sticky issue of copyright ownership that each of the businesses have to contend with. They operate knowing they could be served a cease-and-desist from the group’s management companies. Diones said he had been served a letter, and got around it by moving his wares off of retail sites like Etsy.

Getting served is something Cain doesn’t like to think about. ”I think because we're speaking from passion rather than profit, it helps us sleep at night,” he said. “We do it because we love it.”

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All three remember the day they saw one of their shirts being worn out in the wild. “It's a real surreal experience,” said Hung. “It just helps me connect with the local community and make more friends. So I find it really rewarding.”

The fans find it equally rewarding to find apparel that complement their style and biases.

Jinx Hardy drove from Modesto to KPLAY! Fest with their two sisters, Airyanna and Aleiya. Jinx picked up a tasty Le Sserafim-themed jersey from Cains’ booth.

A group of K-pop fans show off their T-shirts at K-Play! Fest in San Mateo.

“I really enjoy the sense of community of fan-made merch,” they said.

“It just feels more personal, and I like that,” Airyanna added.

As the Hardy siblings stroll through KPLAY! Fest adding to their wardrobes, my stack of impulse buys remain unworn and unloved: A Twice tour shirt with a graffiti motif that neither looks cool or street; a Jackson Wang XXL shirt that’s as long as a nightgown with an unintelligible dot-matrix design on the back; an all-text KCON 2022 shirt that was probably mass-produced at the cheapest rate. And I don’t dare wear my STAYC “Teenfresh” shirt because, well, nobody needs to see a 58-year-old wearing that.

So when lines start forming outside merch booths at the next K-pop concert, I won’t get fooled again. There are plenty of small businesses making cool shirts for the love of the artists and fan community.

Todd Inoue is a freelance writer.