Hobicore: personalisation based on J-hope from BTS

By Jacqui Ma February 20, 2023

As more people are trying to save money in this global recession, they also don't want to compromise style. I have noticed that we are making and personalising our own gear more and more. Whether it be buying something which is generic and making it your own or making something from scratch, there is more of a move towards personalising your things with haberdashery which is thrifted, found or gifted. This article shows some creative ideas on how to personalise your things using patches and other items to create new, creative and unique pieces of clothing and accessories.

j-hope Hobicore

Hobicore

A new term called Hobicore - a spin off from Normcore / barbicore and the other 'cores' is a term which describes an aesthetic that comes from a love from collecting things aka junk which is then attached onto pieces of clothing or accessories to make them look like a collection of these hobby items.

Some people think that this trend started with Korean pop star J-hope, who was an original member of k-pop band BTS. His nickname is Hobi and that is where this name Hobicore originated. It is perhaps a happy co-incidence that the name also fits with the word Hobby which also describes the elements of this aesthetic.

J-hope from BTS

You may have heard of normcore, barbicore, cottagecore and wait for it, there is a new one called 'Hobicore'. It started in social media around the time J-Hope a South Korean rapper and member of Korean K-Pop supergroup BTS. This style is a combination of retro nostalgia with cute, happy and optimistic kitsch details. It is a combination of kidcore aesthetic and streetwear fashion and features heavy retro nostalgia combined with bright colours, pop art, smiley faces, rainbows, flowers, nail art, and beaded bracelets.

Hobicore trainers personalised

Hobicore is a 'combination of kidcore aesthetic and streetwear fashion, hobicore is an aesthetic that features heavy retro nostalgia combined with bright colours, pop art, smiley faces, rainbows, flowers, nail art, and beaded bracelets".

During covid, many people were stuck at home and this was the perfect time for them to take up new hobbies and make things. Many of the available items for this crafting included beads, colourful stickers, patches and and pins.

Head piece hobicore

Making items to trade and give to friends is very much along the lines of the friendship bracelets of the 1990s. The pins and bracelets were attached to watches such as swatch watches or shoelaces and worn as a sign of friendship and belonging.

Friendship pins

These decorated pins are a definite throwback to the analogue days of the 90s where, before teenages had mobile phones and devices, friendship numbers were counted by numbers of pins you had on your laces or watch rather than how many likes you had on your instagram posts.

Chain bodice Hobicore

Personalised trainers

Many sneaker brands have collaborated with artists to come up with personalised and unique trainers. These trainers below combine paint and trinkets to arrive at a radically decorated pair of shoes. But you don't need to be an professional artist to personalise your trainers, you also don't need to have expensive shoes to make a creative statement with your footwear.

Personalising trainers

Here is a link showing some good tips for painting your trainers with acrylic paint. Some of the tips include doing a draft first, cleaning the surfaces before starting and choosing the right paints for the right surfaces such as canvas or leather. Making sure you have the right brush and the right materials is really important in getting the result you want.

Canvas shoes painting

Hair Accessories

This trend can also be translated to hair accessories including clips, barettes and multi-coloured ribbons.

Jewellery

Stacks of necklaces to bring sunshine and happiness to any outfit. Stacked necklaces give a 'more is more' aesthetic.

necklace

This aesthetic has also made it onto the catwalk in a high fashion context as you can see below. A jacket adorned with a plethora of 'junk'. I feel that for a sustainable option, these bits and pieces should be vintage sourced or found at charity or thrift stores.

hobicore

Hello kitty, rubics cube and all sorts of trinkets make up this colourful and playful trend. Like many trends that start on the street, they often appear a bit later on the catwalks such as our other Tartan Trend that you can read about here.

These little charms and 'junk' have a lucky charm aesthetic reminding me of where kids collect things and the collection is brought together into a necklace or other accessories. Read more about lucky charms in our previous blog post here.