The Era of Editing
It's not a rebrand it's a refinement.
The Era of Editing
I’ve been thinking a lot about restraint lately.
Not in a minimal for minimal’s sake way but in the discipline it takes to know what actually matters and to let everything else fall away. That’s where 1987 is right now. We’re not adding more. We’re refining. Editing. Clarifying.
This year, 1987 has been growing in ways I’m incredibly grateful for. Along with that growth, one of our biggest priorities has been strengthening the brand identity. For the first time, we brought in an outside designer to help define our core color palette, our seasonal palette, and how we use those colors across everything we do. Things like, how often is yellow used? What does the brand feel like and what does it not?
When we first started, building 1987 was all about adding, experimenting, seeing what stuck. Now, with the brand established, the work is about defining. What exactly is 1987? Who is the 1987 Girl? What does she wear, and what does she not wear? She repeats pieces. She reaches for favorites again and again. That’s intentional.
Working with a designer on fonts, colors, and overall visual identity has been fascinating. Every choice, primary font, secondary font, color usage, etc., is meant to illuminate what 1987 feels like and ensure everything we do, from styling to photos to emails, feels coordinated. The goal is a living brand Bible, a clear reference for everyone in the company to make decisions with intention.
Brand value comes from restraint. Look at brands like Rhode. Rhode gray is immediately recognizable because of consistency. For 1987, the question is how to make a hoodie instantly identifiable, or a video immediately feel like us, from the first second. Defining that core identity is the fun and challenging part: creating an archetype of the 1987 Girl, a universe that’s consistent across product, messaging, and visual storytelling.
This work is about clarity and purpose. Every piece we make, every choice we style, every asset we create has to feel unmistakably 1987. We’re not trying to do what other brands can do. We’re focused on what is uniquely us.
That’s what the brand Bible is for: it spells out who we are, what we stand for, and what we look like. And it’s not about small things, like a navy or a gray—it’s about capturing an East Coast life, city to coast, winter in Boston, summer on the Cape or Nantucket. Our colors, fonts, styling all reflect that duality. Our primary font feels coast, our secondary font feels city. Everything is coordinated, intentional, and designed to reinforce the identity.
The 1987 Girl is someone who repeats, reuses, and resonates with a consistent world we’ve created. And that’s the goal: for people to recognize the brand instantly and feel connected to it.
A Life the Clothes Are Built Around
1987 has always been designed around my real life and the lives of women who move through the world the same way.
A morning in Boston. Coffee first. Sometimes grabbed on the way to Pilates, sometimes made at home if the day starts slower. Walking the dog through the Seaport, layered up depending on the weather, wearing the same hoodie I reach for most days.
The rhythm is steady. Reformer class. Groceries. Work calls. Dressing without overthinking it. Leggings, a rollneck, something clean, comfortable, and familiar. Some nights it’s a game at the Garden. Other days it’s packing a bag and leaving the city for the Cape.
City to coast. Weekday to weekend. The routine shifts but the feeling stays the same. I want to feel comfortable, put together, and like myself wherever I’m going.
That’s the life 1987 is designed around. Real places. Real routines. Clothes that move with you.
Who the 1987 Girl Is
The 1987 girl isn’t defined by age, trend, or status.
She’s defined by ease, confidence, and discerning taste.
She dresses intuitively. She repeats pieces. She values comfort but never at the expense of taste. Her style is clean, modern, and lived in.
Most importantly, she doesn’t dress to perform. She dresses to live.
1987 exists to support her life not interrupt it.
How the Brand Started and Where It’s Going
1987 started as my birth year because in the beginning I was designing for myself. I wanted clothes that made sense for my life. City days, Cape weekends, always feeling pulled together without trying too hard.
Over time, something became clear. This wasn’t just about me. It was about a way of living. An East Coast rhythm. A shared approach to everyday dress.
The founder is the starting point, not the destination. Today, the brand is built around the 1987 Girl, an archetype defined by comfort and taste, not a single person.
Why I Don’t Over Explain the Name
1987 doesn’t need to explain itself.
Like many enduring brands, the name is a container not a message. Its meaning comes from how the clothes look, feel, and live in the world.
If someone asks, the answer is simple. 1987 started as my birth year, designing for my own East Coast life, from city to coast. That perspective on everyday dress still sets the standard for the brand today.
That’s it. The product and the lifestyle do the rest.
Designed for East Coast Living
Our tagline, Designed for East Coast living, is the clearest articulation of what we do.
It’s not about fashion moments or trends. It’s about real life. City days, coastal weekends, game nights, weather, repetition. It speaks to how the clothes are actually worn, on repeat, in real routines.
Internally, it’s our filter. If something doesn’t make sense for East Coast living, it doesn’t belong at 1987.
The Shift Editing Over Adding
This chapter of 1987 is about discipline.
We’re editing silhouettes. Editing branding. Editing color, language, releases, and systems. Every piece has to earn its place. Nothing extra. Nothing accidental. Nothing diluted.
The goal isn’t variety. The goal is focus.
I want 1987 to design the pieces you reach for first and then keep reaching for until they quietly replace everything else in your closet.
Built to Be Worn on Repeat
1987 isn’t occasion wear. It’s not night out dressing or one time outfits.
It’s what you wear to Pilates, errands, games, travel, weekends. It’s for real life.
Beyond physical comfort, the clothes are meant to offer emotional comfort, the feeling of being grounded, familiar, and steady as you move through your day. They’re what you put on when you want to feel like yourself, whether the day feels easy or hard.
That’s why people come back. That’s why alternatives stop making sense.
Limited On Purpose
We release in limited runs by design.
Scarcity comes from discipline not excess. Drops are planned, measured, and intentional. When something sells out, it earns its place in the archive. Nothing is overproduced. Nothing is endlessly restocked.
Limited availability should feel like belonging. When you see someone else wearing 1987, there’s recognition, shared taste, shared timing, shared understanding.
You’re not chasing the brand. You’re part of it.
The Long View
1987 is being built with longevity in mind. Every decision prioritizes clarity, repeat customers, and cultural relevance that actually holds value.
This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing it better.
We’re editing. We’re refining. And we’re building something meant to last, quietly, confidently, and worn on repeat.
— Jen
Founder, 1987