As the stigma around cannabis slowly dissipates and the plant and culture become more fashionable, it was only a matter of time before the fashion world began recognizing its rise in popularity. Unfortunately, that recognition has been mostly limited to underground designer lookbooks and random one-off pieces, with no brand really setting out to make cannabis the main inspiration for its collection or label—until now.
Sundae School, which labels itself as “a smokewear brand that makes high-quality apparel & accessories for honor rollers,” just made their New York Fashion Week debut this past week, bringing an entire collection’s worth of high-minded looks and styles to the catwalk for the first time since catwalks existed.
Officially launched on 4/20 of last year, the line was created to offer up quality apparel and accessories to rock when you’re high. “Smokewear,” as founder Dae Lim told Fashionista, is essentially about making “the most comfortable t-shirts, hoodies, and caps for recreational cannabis consumption.”
Initially created as a part-time project to explore the sartorial connection between weed and fashion, the label has gained some solid underground notoriety of late, including a Highsnobiety Crown award for “Best Under the Radar Brand.”
For its latest spring 2019 collection, dubbed “Chapter 3,” Lim took inspiration from Korean history and the public scholars of the Goryeo and Joseon ancient periods. “We were imagining a world where these Korean scholars were studying about cannabis and enjoying the different intellectual and creative highs that they experienced through it,” Lim told Fashionista.
Debuting as the label’s first full ready-to-wear line, the collection, named 떨선비 (Ddul-Sunb, or “Weed Scholar”), takes the smokewear idea to new heights with pieces like “smokesuits” inspired by the traditional Korean hanbok dress made from unique materials like organza and nubi-quilted cotton. Inside the suit jackets are the brand’s signature loops designed to safely hold a joint along with cargo pockets in the shape of cigarette boxes with the phrase “Smoking Chills.”
Additional pieces include a track jacket, hoodie, and shorts designed with an illustrated motif by Korean-based artist Yeonbun, which shows Korean scholars smoking while reading and sitting in front of a laptop and bong.
While the label is just starting to find its groove, Lim is working hard on getting new retailers to stock the brand’s collections some time next year. In the meantime, Lim has several holiday collabs and unique partnerships in the works to help spread the word. And the buzz, with all pun intended.
“We don’t take ourselves seriously and hopefully that’s apparent in our clothes,” said Lim. “But what we are serious about is the best experience for when you’re high.”
Whether that philosophy is enough to sustain an entire fashion label is yet to be seen, but with the widespread attention the brand has already been receiving, it looks like they’re heading in the right direction.
