Unfolding Identity: A Radical New Way to Wear the Beach

We all know the feeling that comes before a decision. Before you reach for the shirt, the scarf, the wrap. It lives somewhere between light and fabric, heat and movement, a whisper of who you want to be that day. Not a costume, not a performance, but a shift. A soft, deliberate step into something just a little more you. Read more in Unfolding Identity: A Radical New Way to Wear the Beach

Image on the left-hand side is The Trish Set from The 87 London

Clothes, after all, don’t just dress us. They cross thresholds. Between indoors and out, sun and shadow, old places and new ones. What we wear when we travel, when we pause, when we breathe in salt and let the hours stretch, that says more than we often realise. And sometimes, it all begins with a knot, a fold, a piece of cloth tied just so.

Enter The 87, a London-born brand redefining the rules of what beachwear can be, and where it belongs. Launched in 2023 by graphic artist Zoë Zimmer, The 87 doesn’t chase trends or seasons. Instead, it offers something quietly radical: two scarf-like panels, fluid in form and designed to be tied in countless ways. Skirt. Top. Dress. Cover-up. Eveningwear, even. The look is what you make it, one piece, one size, infinite possibilities.

‘The idea was always to create something you’d want to wear off the beach, too‘

Zoë Zimmer

The concept is as much about function as it is about freedom. Zimmer, who grew up immersed in the creative worlds of music and image-making, wanted to design beachwear that reflected personal style; something that nodded to fashion history but felt relevant now.

But the magic lies in how you wear it. Each set from The 87 becomes a tool for self-expression, tied and re-tied depending on mood, occasion, or whim. It’s less about dressing for the beach, and more about bringing your full self to wherever you are. The silhouettes can go from barefoot on warm stones to cocktails in the city, no wardrobe change required. It’s a quiet checkmate to the question: why can’t fashion be both striking and smart?

Beyond design, The 87 makes a clear and conscious commitment to sustainability. Each piece is made to order in London, avoiding unnecessary stock and reducing waste. Zimmer is quick to note they don’t claim to be perfect, but the brand is determined to do what it can. That means producing only what’s needed, using low-water fabric processes, and ensuring zero ink waste through collaborations with local water authorities.

Everything; from garment to packaging, is locally and ethically produced, with low carbon output and fully compostable packaging printed with soy-based inks. In a landscape flooded with fast fashion and seasonal drops, this slower, more thoughtful approach feels almost luxurious. It’s a rhythm that asks us to pause. To check in with how we shop, what we keep, and what we let go.

‘We don’t need more stuff. We need better stuff’

Zoë Zimmer

In a way, The 87 isn’t just offering clothes, it’s inviting you to rethink what dressing means. What it means to own less, but better. What it means to wear something again, in a new way, and still feel like it’s new. It reminds us that clothing doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. Sometimes, the softest statements are the ones that last.

So as borders blur, between home and holiday, inside and outside, art and wearability; it’s worth asking: what carries you through? What wraps around you when the day shifts, when the breeze picks up, when the light begins to change? Maybe it’s less about what you wear to the beach, and more about what you carry away from it.

Read our exclusive interview with Zoë Zimmer here

What’s your earliest memory of experiencing art?
Was there a moment; a painting, a sound, a sculpture, that truly stopped you in your tracks?

My father is a musician, so I grew up in recording studios and on scoring stages. As a really young kid I would sit in the studio for hours and watch how an orchestra worked together to create something – it’s real art being made in real time right in front of you. To this day my favourite sound in the world is of an orchestra warming up. 

How do different forms of artistic expression shape your work and daily life?

I think art plays a function in all creative work, we’re all influenced by the art around us, whether we’re aware of it or not. For me, there are certain periods of art/film/music/literature, that I feel impact the creative decisions I make on a daily basis, in how I dress or decorate my home, and definitely in my own work too.

What was the driving idea behind launching your beachwear line, The 87?

I wanted to create something that I couldn’t seem to find on the market at the time – I was looking for something that still reflected my style off the beach, but everything was always either really brightly coloured or floral print, or alternatively it was completely plain and boring.The idea with The 87 is that you can tie the two scarfs in various ways to create different looks that work for everyone, they’re also one size fits all and made to order in London which were both things that were important to me from the start. 

Can you tell us about the inspirations behind your collection, themes like Bauhaus and 80s YSL?

I never really know what references are going to influence what I’m working on at the time, it’s really more just about things that I love and working out how I can incorporate that into what I’m designing. I’ve always loved Bauhaus design and architecture and using that in textiles worked really well. I also love all things YSL, and some of the colour combinations from that era felt really fun for beachwear. I’ve actually always been inspired by different eras, the overall concept for The 87’s two-piece tie beachwear came from Cher’s Bob Mackie outfits in the 70s.

Form versus function; how do you navigate that balance in your work and life?

 I think there is solid case for the importance of both! Do I have many beautiful yet desperately impractical things? Yes. Do I also have many useful but hideously ugly things? Also yes. I think the sweet spot is when something is impeccably designed to be both beautiful and useful. 

Find out more at www.the87london.com

If you enjoyed reading Unfolding Identity: A Radical New Way to Wear the Beach then why not try Vanilla Tastes Divine and Works Wonders On The Skin?

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