SUNDAE SCHOOL: REMIXING STREETWEAR WITH CULTURAL STORYTELLING
By: Erica Commisso
Sundae School came onto the fashion scene with a big bang. Between 2018 and 2020, the streetwear brand made waves at New York Fashion Week with its smokewear line but the pandemic forced a pivot, which resulted in a return to Sundae School’s Korean-American roots and experimental design. They also shifted into a direct-to-consumer model creating more of a community with shoppers.
The Fall/Winter 24 collection, which was released at the end of September, represents that return while also embracing rebellion in fashion and beyond, celebrating individuality with the theme of resilience. “As a brand, we’ve always tried to capture both the struggle and triumphs of our community,” says Dae Lim, founder of Sundae School. “This collection represents our evolution and the resilience we have had to embody—not just in fashion, but as Asian Americans navigating a complex world. It’s a reflection of how far we’ve come, and where we are headed.”
Image courtesy of Sundae School
‘Alone we are silent, but together we are resilient,’ is the full mantra for the collection, which was spearheaded by Elizabeth Wang, who serves as the brand’s design lead.
“We wanted this collection to be a statement about survival, but also about thriving,” Wang says. “We have incorporated elements from traditional Korean design, like the hanbok, but infused them with streetwear influences and bold details like hardware and oversized silhouettes. It is a celebration of resilience in every sense—resilience against the odds, against silence and against conformity.”
Image courtesy of Sundae School
Staple pieces include the Duvet Puffer, which is inspired by the comfort and warmth of home and re-imagines the classic puffer with a pleated, duvet-like texture, as well as the Lotus Dancheong Fleece, which draws from the ornate murals of Korean temples to combine intricate patterns with modern streetwear sensibilities. Another highly coveted piece is the Spliff Squad Varsity Jacket, which represents a nod to both the nostalgia of campus culture and cannabis culture (a theme with the fashion brand, (which also has a cannabis line) while incorporating Sundae School’s signature edge. Each piece is thoughtfully made in small runs and with comfort in mind, proudly inspired by counterculture. The same is true of the rest of the collection, including hoodies, skirts, t-shirts, denim and beyond.
Image courtesy of Sundae School
Paired with the collection’s release is an accompanying campaign video directed by Sundae School’s creative director, Audrey Bark. The piece captures the essence of resilience and community through a group of young people who, after indulging in Sundae School’s mochi gummies, tap into a deeper sense of self-awareness and liberation. They find enlightenment and as a result, don’t care to fit into any molds. Essentially, their self-awareness makes them comfortable in their own skin and leads them on a path of freedom and self-expression.
“We really wanted to capture raw, authentic stories that we experience every day - growing up, I was the only Asian American in my high school, and I often stayed silent to avoid any mishaps,” Bark says. “But as I entered college and my professional career in New York City I met other Asian Americans and immigrant creatives who had shared my experience so I started to feel that silence was no longer an option because self-expression is the core of what pushes culture forward - we, as a community, had to be resilient.”
Lim echoes Bark’s sentiments. “This collection is so much more than just clothing,” the founder says. “It is a reflection of who we are, where we have been, and where we are going. It’s about resilience, unity, and a new vision of what it means to be part of this community - and what it means to break the rules while honoring the traditions that shaped us.”