"Woozy and warmfrom the sun, we shared an orange pop and watched the surfers' last lines of the day."
Amy Obispo
***
When Clementine Cope set foot in snow deeper than her knees, she knew it was for the last time. Leaving the rural Montana home she’d been raised in, with no plans other than to follow the setting sun, she’d wake up every morning and head towards the warmth; dreaming of Dennis Wilson, push pops in the sand, and convertibles.
Her journey covers thousands of miles and delivers her first-ever view of the ocean. By the time summer hits, Clem is consumed by an incomprehensible joy. She finally stops traveling when she settles into a ramshackle surf camp with newfound friends from the hills of Topanga, California. Now realizing for the first time her journey is only beginning.
***
When to wear: The obvious choice is to plunge into this fragrance at the peak of summer, allowing the cool citrus to wash your worries away. Less obvious is to douse yourself in the darker months, letting your skin soak up the sun and radiate it outward when it matters most.
***
The Sniff on Sundrunk:
"Orange can be a beautiful note in perfumery, softer and more forgiving than it’s sourer cousin, lemon, and less harshly mouth-watering than lime, it’s often a warm, calming and enveloping fragrance. In Sundrunk this is indeed the case, the opening notes are cheerful and uplifting but the softness is mitigated somewhat by the sourness of rhubarb and the bitterness of neroli to give it an edge."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Sundrunk suits the kind of day that starts hot and stays bright, when the air still carries a little salt and the mood is loose enough for citrus to feel almost fizzy. It reads like a scent for open windows, sunlit skin and easy conversation, with just enough tartness to keep the sweetness from turning sticky.
How to wear
Best in warm weather, though it can also work in colder months if you want a bright, sunlit lift on skin. A moderate spray or two is enough: the citrus and neroli stay lively in the air, while the rhubarb keeps the opening crisp and the woody base gives it a smoother drydown.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like citrus fragrances with personality: fresh but not thin, sweet but not syrupy, and lifted by a tart, slightly bitter edge. It will appeal to people drawn to playful, optimistic scents with a clean structure and a unisex, easygoing feel.
Release year
2018
The nose
Josh Meyer is the founder and perfumer behind Imaginary Authors, the Portland-based house built around story-driven compositions and unusual material pairings. His work for the brand tends to balance clarity with texture, giving each fragrance a readable theme without flattening it into a simple accord. With Sundrunk, Meyer leans into a bright citrus profile sharpened by rhubarb and neroli, creating a scent that feels airy, vivid and slightly tart rather than purely sweet. It fits his broader style: imaginative, accessible on the surface, but with enough contrast to keep the composition moving on skin.
Collaborators
Ashod Simonian shaped the fragrance’s visual and narrative presentation, helping turn Sundrunk into a fully imagined story rather than just a formula. His contribution lies in the world-building: the fictional backstory, the surf-camp California imagery, and the distinctive packaging language that supports the scent’s concept.
Imaginary Authors’s story
Imaginary Authors treats perfume like fiction: each scent is built around a written concept, a character or a remembered scene, with the aim of provoking imagination as much as pleasure. The house favors unexpected combinations, unisex wearability and a playful, literary point of view that makes every fragrance feel like a chapter rather than a formula.
Sundrunk’s concept
Sundrunk was conceived around a sun-soaked fictional journey: Clementine Cope leaves Montana, follows the warmth west, and eventually lands in a ramshackle surf camp in Topanga, where the scent of orange pop and the last lines of a day at the beach become part of the story. The name and imagery came before the fragrance itself, giving the composition a more narrative, cinematic feel than many of the brand’s releases.
Extra info
Sundrunk is one of Imaginary Authors’ most recognisable summer releases, and its bottle is noted for a rectangular shape with a fish motif. It is also available as a candle, extending the scent’s orange-pop, beach-day character beyond the perfume.
"Woozy and warmfrom the sun, we shared an orange pop and watched the surfers' last lines of the day."
Amy Obispo
***
When Clementine Cope set foot in snow deeper than her knees, she knew it was for the last time. Leaving the rural Montana home she’d been raised in, with no plans other than to follow the setting sun, she’d wake up every morning and head towards the warmth; dreaming of Dennis Wilson, push pops in the sand, and convertibles.
Her journey covers thousands of miles and delivers her first-ever view of the ocean. By the time summer hits, Clem is consumed by an incomprehensible joy. She finally stops traveling when she settles into a ramshackle surf camp with newfound friends from the hills of Topanga, California. Now realizing for the first time her journey is only beginning.
***
When to wear: The obvious choice is to plunge into this fragrance at the peak of summer, allowing the cool citrus to wash your worries away. Less obvious is to douse yourself in the darker months, letting your skin soak up the sun and radiate it outward when it matters most.
***
The Sniff on Sundrunk:
"Orange can be a beautiful note in perfumery, softer and more forgiving than it’s sourer cousin, lemon, and less harshly mouth-watering than lime, it’s often a warm, calming and enveloping fragrance. In Sundrunk this is indeed the case, the opening notes are cheerful and uplifting but the softness is mitigated somewhat by the sourness of rhubarb and the bitterness of neroli to give it an edge."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Sundrunk suits the kind of day that starts hot and stays bright, when the air still carries a little salt and the mood is loose enough for citrus to feel almost fizzy. It reads like a scent for open windows, sunlit skin and easy conversation, with just enough tartness to keep the sweetness from turning sticky.
How to wear
Best in warm weather, though it can also work in colder months if you want a bright, sunlit lift on skin. A moderate spray or two is enough: the citrus and neroli stay lively in the air, while the rhubarb keeps the opening crisp and the woody base gives it a smoother drydown.
Who it’s for
For wearers who like citrus fragrances with personality: fresh but not thin, sweet but not syrupy, and lifted by a tart, slightly bitter edge. It will appeal to people drawn to playful, optimistic scents with a clean structure and a unisex, easygoing feel.
Release year
2018
The nose
Josh Meyer is the founder and perfumer behind Imaginary Authors, the Portland-based house built around story-driven compositions and unusual material pairings. His work for the brand tends to balance clarity with texture, giving each fragrance a readable theme without flattening it into a simple accord. With Sundrunk, Meyer leans into a bright citrus profile sharpened by rhubarb and neroli, creating a scent that feels airy, vivid and slightly tart rather than purely sweet. It fits his broader style: imaginative, accessible on the surface, but with enough contrast to keep the composition moving on skin.
Collaborators
Ashod Simonian shaped the fragrance’s visual and narrative presentation, helping turn Sundrunk into a fully imagined story rather than just a formula. His contribution lies in the world-building: the fictional backstory, the surf-camp California imagery, and the distinctive packaging language that supports the scent’s concept.
Imaginary Authors’s story
Imaginary Authors treats perfume like fiction: each scent is built around a written concept, a character or a remembered scene, with the aim of provoking imagination as much as pleasure. The house favors unexpected combinations, unisex wearability and a playful, literary point of view that makes every fragrance feel like a chapter rather than a formula.
Sundrunk’s concept
Sundrunk was conceived around a sun-soaked fictional journey: Clementine Cope leaves Montana, follows the warmth west, and eventually lands in a ramshackle surf camp in Topanga, where the scent of orange pop and the last lines of a day at the beach become part of the story. The name and imagery came before the fragrance itself, giving the composition a more narrative, cinematic feel than many of the brand’s releases.
Extra info
Sundrunk is one of Imaginary Authors’ most recognisable summer releases, and its bottle is noted for a rectangular shape with a fish motif. It is also available as a candle, extending the scent’s orange-pop, beach-day character beyond the perfume.