On May 8, designer Benjamin Voortmans - founder of the independent fashion brand Judassime - issued a statement clarifying the controversy related to Jisoo (Blackpink).
In a statement including many parts posted on personal social media platforms, Voortmans clearly stated that neither Jisoo nor her management company Blissoo is directly responsible for handling or keeping related outfits.
He also admitted that his initial public statements caused misunderstanding about the incident.
The dispute originated from Voortmans publicly declaring that his brand had not been returned its lent outfit after a photoshoot.
The project requires these outfits to be sent to Paris in December 2025 to prepare for a photoshoot scheduled to take place in Korea with Jisoo's participation.
According to Voortmans, the photoshoot has been postponed many times, while the costumes are still "disconnected" and the relevant crew has not given any significant feedback.
His efforts to resolve the issue through contracts and legal channels have also not received a response.
After that, the fact that he publicly tagged Jisoo Blackpink's personal account in posts requesting the return of items attracted great attention online, leading to a wave of fierce criticism and many negative comments aimed at the female singer.
In the official clarification statement, Voortmans emphasized that Jisoo was not directly involved in the incident.
He said that neither Jisoo nor Blissoo had ever stolen, processed, transported or kept any outfits themselves, and affirmed that he never intended to accuse the female artist.
He further explained that the invoice he sent to the crew is only conditional, meaning it is only valid for payment if the costumes are not returned. He confirmed that he has now received commitments from related parties that all costumes will be fully returned.
Voortmans also took this opportunity to share about the impact that the incident had on his business. As the sole founder of an independent fashion brand, he said these outfits are of great value both emotionally and financially.
A long period of unclear whereabouts of items and prolonged lack of contact have significantly affected his operations and brand development prospects.
However, the designer clarified that the cause of the incident lies in the administrative management and communication around the project, not caused by the artist himself.
Before posting the written statement, Voortmans posted a video explaining that publicly mentioning Jisoo's name was not to blame her personally, but only to encourage the relevant team to respond, because he could not contact them directly by other means.
In the same video, he also publicly called on the public to stop sending attacking or malicious comments aimed at Jisoo, and admitted that his previous statements unintentionally contributed to causing her to suffer a wave of criticism.
As of the time the article was published, neither Jisoo nor Blissoo company has made any official statements.
