Aespa’s Karina Is The Latest K-pop Star To Embrace The Leopard Print Trend

The K-pop girls have gone wild—sartorially speaking, of course

Karina of Aespa wears a leopard print dress—joining other K-pop stars in embracing a major fashion trend of 2024 (Photo: Instagram / @katarinabluu)

You may recall the ‘Mob Wife’ aesthetic that had a chokehold on Tiktok at the beginning of the year. The fashion trend looked to the fierce, flashy outfits of Italian-American women in the mafia—both real and fictional—for style inspiration. It called for bold wardrobe pieces like (faux) fur coats and animal prints, which soon became fashion trends of their own, and were brought to life by celebrities like Rihanna and Dua Lipa. We also spotted leopard prints on the Fall/Winter 2024 runway shows, thanks to both the usual suspects (think of the fashion brands that typically dress sultry, powerful women, like Versace and Alaïa) and unusual ones (how about leopard-print coats from Dior and Celine)?

Now, the leopard print trend has made its way into the realm of K-pop fashion. Aespa’s Karina took to Instagram to share her unexpected outfit for the beach, comprising a leopard print minidress with a sweetheart neckline. The Supernova star paired her dress with sheer black tights and knee-high leather boots from Prada (she was announced as brand ambassador for the Italian label just last week).

Karina is not the only Aespa member to embrace the trend. Both Winter and Giselle have sported leopard prints—which was famously deemed as a “neutral” by American designer Jenna Lyons—in their recent outfits. Giselle wore a pair of leopard-print boots from Gianvito Rossi—a striking touch that contrasted the rest of her all-black ensemble. Meanwhile, Winter playfully mixed up her prints and patterns in true Y2K fashion. The singer sported a ruffled leopard-print skirt and a matching headband, both of which clashed with her off-shoulder crop-top.

Some of our favourite K-pop girl group members have flaunted equally interesting combinations involving animal prints. Blackpink’s Lisa layered a leopard-print cropped jacket from Celine over a white lace blouse—borrowing from the style codes of both the Mob Wife aesthetic and coquette-core at once. Jisoo, meanwhile, spruced up a simple outfit comprising a white T-shirt and light-wash blue jeans by throwing on a Dior mohair leopard-print cardigan. All eyes were, indeed, on her when she arrived at the airport in that ensemble.

Below, be inspired by more of the best leopard-print outfits worn by K-pop stars.