Yoon Ahn’s fascination with school uniforms continues to blossom in her latest Ambush collection for Fall/Winter 2024. This season, she ditches the rebellious undertones and embraces a preppier aesthetic, infusing it with a vibrant and playful spirit.
Gone are the days of rigid conformity. Ahn uses the school uniform as a springboard to explore diverse characters, from the classic preppy students to the sporty jocks and the girly girls sporting maxi bows and heart-shaped bags.
“Everyone lives in their uniform,” Ahn explains. “I wanted to push the idea of what it can mean, also given my background.” The Tokyo-based designer, with South Korean roots, aimed to break free from the traditional stiffness of uniforms and inject a sense of fun.
Scissors became her weapon of choice, transforming classic pieces like pleated miniskirts, cropped V-neck sweaters, and shirts into more daring silhouettes with diamond-shaped cutouts. Oversized blazers and baggy pants further the relaxed, “too cool for school” attitude.
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However, the collection’s core still lies in the traditional uniform staples: varsity jackets, rugby polos, and letterman-patched hoodies. These pieces, alongside the retro tracksuits and sporty sets, solidify the youthful and approachable nature of the lineup.
The collection also plays on the generational shift in the perception of “preppy.” While Gen X and Millennials associate it with varsity jackets, khakis, and Lacoste shirts, Gen Alpha sees it through the lens of pastel athleisure and smiley face graphics.
Ahn taps into a sense of nostalgia, acknowledging that the appeal of school uniforms often comes with hindsight. She adds to this the allure of collegiate Americana, a prominent aesthetic in American high school movies from the early 2000s. “We used to look up to America as the cultural leader,” Ahn says, “something aspirational through this aesthetic that became ingrained in people that is now something they want to revisit.”
Prep, once an American aesthetic, has become a globalized phenomenon, often more captivating and cool outside its original context. Ahn acknowledges this, drawing inspiration from American literature and vintage hunting in Japan, a country she describes as having “an obsession with Americana.”
The playful spirit shines through in the varsity knits, where “Ambush” replaces the traditional school logo. The deconstructed argyle patterns on poplin shirts and patched-up flannels and rugby shirts further showcase Ahn’s ingenuity as a designer.
For Ahn, the appeal of preppy Americana goes beyond nostalgia. It’s about the “steadiness to the aesthetic,” a concept she consistently aims for in her collections. “Although the theme might change every season,” she explains, “I always make sure that whatever I made last season can carry on to the next.” This consistency is evident, regardless of one’s definition of “preppy.” Four seasons into her uniform exploration, Ahn has established a unique school spirit for Ambush, one that’s both playful and timeless.
Read more: Wooyoungmi Fall/Winter 2024 – Paris Fashion Week Men’s
©Photo: Ambush
