Sandra Oh was one of many celebrities wearing a more laidback outfit at last night’s virtual Emmys, however, hers had a powerful message embroidered into it. Oh chose a sporty look for the event with a message in Korean embroidered onto a bomber and matching mask.
The Killing Eve actor supported Korean-American brand KORELIMITED by wearing its matching blue silk bomber and mask, which had Korean Hangul characters alongside the zip and side of the mask.
When translated, the brand explained the message reads, “Black lives are precious.”
The $375 satin bomber worn by Oh also features a mugunhwa, the national flower of South Korea, and is reversible, with the other side revealing the hunminjeongeum, which KORELIMITEd describes as “Korea’s original alphabet invented by King Sejong the Great.” Proceeds from the jacket go towards Campaign Zero, an organisation aimed at police reform, and Black Girls Code.
Speaking to British Vogue, Oh explained why she had chosen her outfit. She said, “After George Floyd’s death and the protests that followed, I felt that as an Asian-American, a Korean-American person, I wanted to express my support for the Black community in a way that felt personal to my community.”
She then worked with KORELIMITED to create the outfit, as well as the message written on it.
She explained, “It says ‘Black Lives Are Precious’ in Korean writing, because the literal translation of Black Lives Matter is impossible in Korean. The characters have to be read top to bottom, right to left, [a traditional way of writing Korean script] and there are dashes, or taegukgi, lifted from the Korean flag, which represent celestial bodies and the natural elements and all of that good stuff.”
Other actors also wore outfits in support of Black Lives Matter, with Emmy winners Regina King and Uzo Aduba wearing shirts that featured Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was killed after being shot by police in her own home. Sterling K. Brown also wore a Black Lives Matter shirt.
