Sandra Oh didn’t let the mostly virtual Emmys ceremony stop her from making a fashion statement.
At the 72nd Primetime Emmy awards Sunday, Oh sported a custom bomber jacket and a mask embroidered with symbols that celebrated Black culture and Oh’s Korean heritage.
“It’s in a royal purple color — which is a super Korean color and brings a certain mindset for me — and it says ‘Black Lives Are Precious,’ in Korean writing, because the literal translation of Black Lives Matter is impossible in Korean,” Oh told British Vogue.
The Korean words are flanked by dashes, or taegukgi, lifted from the flag of South Korea and her sleeves are adorned by mugunghwa, Korea’s national flower.
The “Killing Eve” star said that she wanted to work with a lesser-known designer and create an outfit reflective of who she is at the awards, where she earned her third straight Emmy nomination for best leading actress in a drama series for her performance as Eve Polastri.
That commitment led her to Matthew Kim, designer of the Los Angeles-based brand Korelimited, which had recently released a collection in support of Black Lives Matter.
“These are unusual times,” Oh 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.”
To finish the look, Oh said she did her own hair and makeup, which was inspired by the maidens in “stories from Korean folklore” that she heard as a child.
Oh, who is originally from Canada, celebrated the wins of her colleagues, including her fellow Canadians from “Schitt’s Creek,” a comedy show that nabbed top honors, along with six other prizes.
While Oh did not take home any awards, many on Twitter said the actress won in other ways by putting the Black Lives Matter movement front and center.
“This is the moment to wear fashion that’s important and sends the right message,” Oh said.