Blackpink’s Jennie has finally dropped her highly-anticipated solo single, Mantra, through her label Odd Atelier. The K-pop star unveiled her pretty girl anthem with a music video shot in Los Angeles, and as expected, it’s a fashion feast for the eyes. Throughout the video, Jennie asserts her style icon status wearing striking pieces from major fashion brands like Jean Paul Gaultier, Versace, Acne Studios and, of course, Chanel. But she also turned the spotlight on an emerging designer: Abarna Kugathasan, the 28-year-old founder of the German fashion label Kitschy Couture.
In one of the first scenes of Mantra, Jennie wore a frothy white lace crop top with puff sleeves adorned with a handcrafted red rose. The K-pop star also wore a matching lace skirt with criss-crossing ribbons and ruffles. Jennie’s ethereal ensemble made up the bridal look in Kitschy Couture’s Spring/Summer 2025 show at Berlin Fashion Week.
For that collection, titled Artificial Paradise, Kugathasan explored the idea of a bride, married to herself, setting off on her honeymoon. The fashion designer drove home her kitschy, glamorous aesthetic which combines elements of the coquette aesthetic (see the ruffles and bows), lingerie (hence all that lace), and 2000s fashion (the sensual strappy details and cut-outs are courtesy of the decade’s ‘flossing’ trend).
The collection’s name also nods to Kugathasan’s diasporic cultural identity, which lies at the heart of Kitschy Couture: her parents are Tamil immigrants from Sri Lanka, and she was born and raised in Germany. Growing up, she witnessed a unique collision between her conservative Tamil upbringing and the Western environment that she lived in. Kugathasan’s mother, a seamstress with an expertise in creating traditional Tamil garments, would craft exquisite saris for her and the women in their neighbourhood. Kugathasan’s parents also decorated their home with colourful objects that nodded to their cultural roots, like artificial lotus flowers with LED lights, or portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses.
“Traditional ceremonies, festivities, sacred images and plastic nature surroundings, all in reminiscence of Sri Lanka, within our four German walls,” wrote Kugathasan in an Instagram post that could also serve as a manifesto for her German-based fashion brand. “We build this fantasy because we couldn’t bear to lose our homes. Now I’m floating in an artificial realm, where contrary cultures collided and [fused] into one. This tale is an intimate story between losing, longing and celebrating Tamil culture, told by giving a glimpse into my home.”
It’s only natural that Jennie was drawn to Kitschy Couture; after all, the Blackpink star is the queen of the coquette aesthetic, and is known for her ultra-feminine outfits. She favours fashion designers like Simone Rocha who, as it happens, is a design mentor for Kugathasan. Rocha also contributed deadstock fabrics that were used in Kitschy Couture’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection. (Another coincidental connection: “mantra” is originally a Hindu concept, something that Kugathasan would no doubt have been exposed to.)
By wearing Kitschy Couture designs in her music video for Mantra (which, as of writing, has close to five million views on Youtube), Jennie casts a bright spotlight on Kugathasan. The designer has been steadily on the rise this year: in February, she showcased Kitschy Couture’s debut collection, Buttercream Fantasy, at Berlin Fashion Week, becoming the first Tamil designer to join the fashion calendar. In July, when she followed up with her second fashion show, Artificial Paradise, she emerged as one of the buzziest names at BFW of the season. Beyond Berlin, international stars are starting to notice her, too. In September, SZA wore a Kitschy Couture design when she scooped up several awards at the 2024 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards. And now, Jennie, one of the world’s biggest K-pop stars, is officially a fan of the German label.
Below, take a closer look at Jennie’s dreamy Kitschy Couture outfit in Mantra.
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