IVE August 2025 Comeback: Custom Soccer Uniforms Steal Show at Coupang Play Series
The K-pop stars turned heads with personalized uniforms during their halftime performance, building excitement for their late August return
IVE made waves beyond their music at the 2025 Coupang Play Series on July 30, where their personalized soccer uniforms became a major talking point among fans and media. The performance at Suwon World Cup Stadium served as a strategic preview for their confirmed August comeback-their first Korean release in seven months.
The six members each customized their Team K League uniforms to match their personal styles, with member Rei explaining on Bubble: "We each asked for reforms according to how we wanted to wear them." While most reactions were positive, some criticism emerged regarding Jang Wonyoung's styling choices, though supporters defended the creative freedom as artistic expression.
IVE's last release, "IVE EMPATHY" in February, achieved massive commercial success. The album sold over 1.04 million copies in its first week, making them only the second girl group in Hanteo history to surpass 1 million first-week sales with four different albums.
Their pre-release single "Rebel Heart" achieved a perfect all-kill (PAK) on all six Korean domestic music charts and claimed 11 music show trophies. The album's title track "ATTITUDE" added four more wins, totaling 15 music show victories for the project.
IVE has established themselves as festival powerhouses throughout 2025. They became the first K-pop girl group to perform at Lollapalooza for two consecutive years across three different cities, following appearances at Lollapalooza Chicago (2024), Berlin, and Paris (2025).
Their upcoming appearance at Rock in Japan Festival 2025 on September 15 continues their international expansion, building on successful performances at Japan's Summer Sonic 2024 where they demonstrated strong local appeal.
Starship Entertainment confirmed on July 24 that IVE is "currently busy preparing with the aim of making a comeback at the end of August". The Coupang Play Series appearance strategically bridges their international festival success with domestic promotional activities.
With their proven ability to generate both digital and physical sales success, combined with their growing international festival presence, IVE's August comeback positions them to continue their dominance in the competitive K-pop landscape. The group's blend of commercial success, artistic growth, and strategic marketing timing suggests their upcoming release will be one of the most anticipated of the summer.
The soccer uniform incident, rather than causing damage, actually increased anticipation by showcasing the members' individual personalities-a theme likely to continue in their upcoming musical release.
