Blackpink’s Lisa sparked controversy at the Met Gala when fans mistakenly claimed her outfit featured Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks‘ image across the crotch area. While her translucent black-lace jacket and strapless bodysuit from Louis Vuitton (LV) did feature dozens of embroidered faces, these were actually portraits by contemporary artist Henry Taylor of his friends, family, and acquaintances, not Rosa Parks. The artist is known for highlighting Black individuals in intimate community settings.
While Lisa hasn’t addressed the numerous news reports and viral social media posts, Hyperallergic confirmed that the bespectacled portrait on her bodysuit that was confused for Parks actually depicted Taylor’s neighbor. The faces adorning her ensemble were typical of Taylor’s signature painting style.
Taylor had previously collaborated with Met Gala Co-Chair Pharrell Williams in 2023 when Williams became LV’s menswear creative director. For that collection, Taylor provided existing portrait samples that were transformed into micro-embroidered details on various looks. Taylor also created Pharrell’s portrait for Vogue‘s May cover.
Taylor attended the Met Gala, themed “Tailored For You” celebrating the Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibition, wearing a Pharrell-styled white button-down featuring his own embroidered portraits.
Pharrell styled several other celebrities for the gala besides Lisa, including up-and-coming pop star Sabrina Carpenter, breakthrough Grammy-winning rapper Doechii, and actor Jeremy Allen White. Lisa’s custom ensemble incorporated the same portraits from Pharrell’s debut collection but rendered as black outlines rather than colorful embroidery.
This incident follows recent controversy when alleged videos surfaced showing Lisa and other Blackpink members saying the N-word while singing along to songs during their training period. These leaked clips circulated on social media, intensifying the current situation. The group has not officially responded to either controversy.
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