Did you ever dream of becoming a member of a K-pop girl group? Well, your chances may have just taken a promising turn. Curated by K-Pop powerhouse HYBE, the force behind BTS, in collaboration with the American label Geffen Records, The Debut: Dream Academy is an audition program aiming to create the world’s next biggest girl group. The venture offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to 20 contestants, carefully chosen from over 120,000 submissions, as they engage in a rigorous journey mirroring the K-pop idol trainee system. Their ultimate goal? Securing a coveted spot within the inaugural HYBE x Geffen Records global girl group.

Participants were recruited from all over the world, from Australia to Argentina, Sweden to South Korea, India, Japan, USA, Brazil, and more. Over the next month, they’ll compete in ‘missions’ to stay in the competition, with the final lineup and name of the group being announced on the finale, November 17th. The years-long process of creating this tailor-made girl group will be the subject of an upcoming untitled Netflix documentary series, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nadia Hallgren, portraying the journey to global stardom, including insight into the unique training and development program from HYBE and Geffen Records.

“I have wanted to form an international group based on K-pop methodology for a while,” says Bang Si-Hyuk, chairman of HYBE. “To do this, I believed we needed a capable partner. When I met John [Janick, Chairman & CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M], from the first moment, we both felt instantly that we had a connection, musically and creatively. I am very proud of the rich history we have made and the tremendous talent we have found. I am proud of the opportunities we have created within the K-Pop universe.”

Curious to get a closer look at the participants? You can follow their journey, or missions, on a YouTube series. Here, we connected with stylist Shirley Kurata and creative director Humberto Leon, the creative team behind The Debut: Dream Academy, to get a closer look at what we can expect from the next steps of this venture. Keep scrolling…

Watch The Debut: Dream Academy art film:

What was your first reaction when offered the role of creative director for the Dream Academy?
Being a creative director in fashion has really given me a unique opportunity to think holistically about storytelling.  When I got to hear about this project, I was so excited to use everything I knew and apply it to music. I’ve always believed that everything I did was based on culture and feelings, so it can always apply to different fields.

How did it come about?  
I directed a music video for The Linda Linda’s and that video caught the attention of someone at Intercope / Universal records.

What separates Dream Academy from any other girl group?
The skills, the training, and the globalness is what make Dream Academy so special.  These girls are so so talented it’s ridiculous.  And the drive.
Throughout the show, have you adapted the creative approach to suit the groups?
everything is about storytelling and in many ways their own stories.  Everything I work on has to embody authenticity so my approach has been to show an evolution of growth visually while telling their story.

What’s been your favourite element so far?
My favourite thing keeps changing. Making the Art Film and setting the tone and the bar for the project was really exciting and when it came out, it felt new and fresh.  Everything since then has been the backbone of the art film so we are seeing a fun evolution.

Where have you drawn inspiration from for this group? 
For this group I’ve looked at the Olympics, I’ve brought in some incredible young designers that represent all parts of the world, and the girls themselves have been my guiding light.  We are doing a lot of vintage and upcycling and designers who Upcycled design because these girls care about the world and I want that to reflect.

What excites you the most about the potential of the group?
It excites me that this group will be the golden standard of a girl group.

What inspires you when styling a group like this?

Seeing what other young women their age are wearing, what other K-pop bands and musicians are wearing, checking out the latest fashion runway collections and seeing what emerging brands are doing, and understanding the vibe of the song they’re dancing and singing to all play a part in my styling. 


What were the reference points when it came to styling? 

It’s important to come up with a unifying theme for the performance, whether it be colour or silhouettes.  For Antifragile and Fearless, both songs by Le Sserafim, I listened to the lyrics, watched their performances, and studied their outfits so that I created something that gave a nod to the band but also reflected the vibe of the lyrics and performance.  From there I thought of a style and colour palette that would unify them, so for Antifragile, it was all white for one team, and tan/olive, in cargo attire which gave a tough, strong vibe.  For Fearless, I thought a motocross vibe lent well to the song, so I went with that, using a black/green and black/blue colour palette which you see often in motocross clothing.  It was also important to watch the choreography so that they were able to dance in their clothes and that the silhouette showcased their dance moves.   Humberto wanted to make sure we created fun fashion looks with also an intent to integrate when possible the use of upcycled pieces and working with cool emerging brands.  For Mission 2 we used Sami Miro Vintage, who works with upcycled fabrics. I also worked with Yvonne and Mitchell who created a bustier out of vintage belts which Yoonchae wore. Megan wore a heart t-shirt by Sarah Aphrodite who repurposes a lot of vintage with heart cutouts.  Brooklyn wore actual vintage motocross pants.  I also used pieces by Korean brands like Andersson Bell, Pushbutton and Nibgnus.


Can you explain the thought process behind the bespoke style for the teams?

I wouldn’t say the outfits were entirely bespoke but I think I explained it in the previous question. 

What takes top priority for you when it comes to styling? 

For a performance involving dance, being able to dance and move freely in their outfits is the top priority.  If there was something constricting their movements, it would take away from their performance which is not a good thing.


What have been your favourite looks so far? 

From the art film, I loved the oversized school blazer looks which was an idea that Humberto had.  The brand 69 made the oversized blazers for me and I thought they did a great job and it was such a fun look.  I also loved the ballet looks with the Rodarte knits and tutus.  I think the outfit from the short film that seemed the most “Shirley” was UA’s red look with the sailor hat and Chopova Lowena collar.  


What excites you the most about the potential for this group?

The ability to reach a global audience and they can create something that can unify the world in a positive way.