Released in November 2019, k-pop idol G-Dragon released his first collaboration with Nike which blew a wave of excitement across sneakerheads, k-pop fans, and artists alike. Upon dropping, the G-Dragon PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Air Force 1 Low ‘Para-Noise’ was an instant success. With an immense fan following all over the world, people scrambled stores and the Internet in hopes to grab their hands on the fashion icon’s pricey, yet artistic approach to Nike.
With a leather upper with a special black coating, the white outsole has spray-painted streaks that give it a graffiti-esque aesthetic. Befitting G-Dragon’s unique style, the sneakers have an added benefit when going through its wear-and-tear, as the aforementioned black upper paint eventually reveals artwork personally designed by the k-pop singer himself. This was done to represent the underlying creativity and layers of expression that art allows.
The sneaker also as a simple embroidered daisy on the tongue of the shoe, detachable custom pins at the upper eyelet, and signature PEACEMINUSONE markings across the insoles.
The overall black aesthetic is meant to pay homage to the hip-hop culture in which G-Dragon was heavily influenced from. It also plays to the colourway of the outfits the global boy band, Big Bang – which G-Dragon leads – wears on tours.
The Global Wave of Big Bang
Popularizing k-pop long before the likes of global phenomenon BTS, Big Bang is the k-pop group led by G-Dragon himself. With their debut album released in 2006, the boy band did not begin to see much success until a year later with their hit single ‘Lies.’ Written and composed by G-Dragon, the song topped Korean music charts for six consecutive weeks, winning Song of the Year.
Selling over 120,000 copies, the group began to gain traction in Korea and Japan, with their next EP entitled Hot Issue topping various other charts thereafter (the EP was also written and produced entirely by G-Dragon). With hit after hit coming out through the decade, Big Bang is known as one of – if not the most – popular k-pop group in the world.
In 2014, when celebrating their tenth anniversary, Big Bang was the second act with the most digital hit songs in history. Setting the highest ticket sales in Taiwan through their first world tour, Big Bang also managed to gather the largest crowd for a K-pop concert in the UK. They also had the largest K-pop arena tour in US history, and their last Made World Tour had the most attended tour headlined by a Korean act in all of history.
The Impact of G-Dragon
While many of the members of the boy band have carved a name for themselves, many of these feats would not have been possible without the leadership, guidance, and musical direction of G-Dragon.
Formally known as Kwon Ji-yong, GD or G-Dragon has been in the Korean entertainment industry since the age of 12, shaping his career into being of the most momentous, influential artists of the times. From rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer, the young artist has done it all, cementing his name as the ‘King of K-pop,’ with his leadership in Big Bang and his various solo projects.
From helping Big Bang become one of the best-selling boy bands in the world to being widely influential amongst the youth culture through fashion and music, G-Dragon was named the most influential person under 30 in Asia’s entertainment and sports (2016). With multiple endorsements to his name, G-Dragon was also listed as one of Korea’s highest-paid celebrities and in 2015 was even the face of Airbnb for the Asian market. From Shinsegae to Hyundai, there are no brands that have yearned to have the young k-pop star as their leading face. Being a fashion icon, G-Dragon was also Asia’s first GIVENCHY muse and was the only Korean to be CHANEL’s muse and Global Ambassador.
PEACEMINUSONE’s Demanding Popularity
Released as a celebration to hail the k-pop idol’s military return, the sneaker, PEACEMINUSONE was an an insanely huge hit. Without a doubt, most of its success has come from G-Dragon’s immense popularity, but beyond that, the sneaker itself has quite a unique, artistic aesthetic.
Coming out in two different versions, one with a white Nike swoosh and the other Korea exclusive donning a red, the sneakers sold out within hours of release. Multiple resale sites had put up the sneakers for sale – hiking the price even further, with most common sizes tagged at a price of $400 to $700. The Korea Exclusive release has a resale price for $2000-$4000 USD in some places, illustrating just how in-demand these silhouettes are.
Continuing the Noise
On Jul 2020, there have been several photos that have circulated across the web showing the release of the PEACEMINUSONE x Nike Air Force 1 collaboration, entitled ‘Para-Noise Part 2.’
Image via Sneaker Bar Detroit
The second release of the highly popular silhouette is shown to feature a white upper, with a contrasting black leather Swoosh. The daisy embroidery continues to be seen throughout the shoe, with strokes of paint applied along the black outsole.
