Two hoodies on the same rail, same name across the chest, and one of them used to cost about four hundred dollars more — that was the 1977, before the markdowns landed on it. From six feet off it reads as the plain fleece everybody owns already, so people scroll straight past. I did too, for a while. Over at Essentials Canada, the 1977 pieces get a category of their own instead of being mixed into the regular hoodies, and that isn’t only a shop-layout thing.
What the “1977” part is actually about
The number is printed on the garment, and it names the whole shelf. It isn’t a release year — Essentials arrived in 2018 as Fear of God’s diffusion line, Jerry Lorenzo’s quieter cousin to the main collection, so the stamp can’t be a drop date. People have theories. I won’t pretend I know which one holds up.
What it does tell you is which rack you’re in front of. Ask for a 1977 and you’re asking for the heavier, blockier build, not the everyday pullover. Fourteen pieces live there, which is small — the t-shirt shelf runs to thirty.
Pick one up and the weight tells you
Cotton fleece, and you feel it before you see it. The site’s FAQ says the items are 100% cotton, with some polyester in a few blends wherever stretch and shrink control matter, and the 1977 bodies land on the dense end of that.
Density is what changes the hang. Thin fleece clings to your ribs and shows every fold — this one sits off the body a bit and holds its shape, so the shoulder seam mostly stays put instead of creeping down your arm by lunchtime. It’s slow to warm up, which is irritating for about four minutes and then stops mattering, because once a 1977 has heat in it a 35°F parking lot doesn’t take it back out.
Downside? It’s bulky. Under a slim jacket you’ll know about it.
Fourteen colors, and one of them is for kids
Black, Brown, Off-White, Wheat, Iron, Dark Oatmeal, Dark Gray, plus a Kids version in the same category. Those names do a lot of work and not all of it honest — Wheat is warmer than it looks on screen, Iron sits between a blue-gray and flat cement, and Dark Oatmeal is the one you’ll wear constantly and then wonder why it looks dirty first.
Stock moves fast, and a color that sells through may not return. So if you’ve settled on Wheat, don’t sit on it for three weeks.
About that $99
The cheapest 1977 pieces are $99 and the priciest reach $116, against the $493 to $500 these were carrying before, so roughly 76 to 80 percent off depending on the color. I’d read that as the real argument for the 1977 over the regular hoodie, because at full retail the gap was hard to justify.
One thing the math does to you: free shipping starts over $500, and a single hoodie won’t get you close. Standard costs $15 and the window is 8 to 12 full business days, on top of 1 to 3 days of processing (weekdays only), so a Thursday order really starts its clock the week after. Express is $40 if the date can’t move.
Key Takeaways
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Fit, and what I’d sort out before ordering
Sizing is unisex, and the two gendered sections list the same designs, not separate patterns, so a medium is a medium whichever door you came in through. Because the fleece doesn’t collapse, the shoulder reads wider than the photo suggests. Want it to follow your shoulders? Go one size down. Going under a winter coat with just a tee underneath, though, I’d stay where you are.
Do read the return terms before you check out — they’re stricter than most people assume, and they change how you’d shop the 1977 Essentials Hoodie category. There are no refunds at all. Credit or an exchange, inside 30 days, unworn with the tags on, and a size swap only happens if your size is still there when you ask. Changed your mind in the first 24 hours? That’s a $25 restocking fee.
None of that is unusual for a discount store. It just means the size you type matters more than it would elsewhere.
Washing it without wrecking the fleece
Heavy cotton fleece is forgiving right up until it isn’t. Heat flattens the inside pile and turns a dense hoodie into a thin, slightly shiny one, and that doesn’t come back. The care guidance on the site is short, and I’d follow it as written:
- Turn it inside out, which protects the printed chest mark.
- Cold water, with like colors — Off-White and Wheat pick up dye fast.
- No bleach at all, including the oxygen kind people assume is fine.
- Hang it instead of tumbling it, and give it a full day — it holds a lot of water.
- Low iron if it needs it, and not over the print.
Hang drying is the one that matters, honestly. A dryer takes length out of cotton sleeves faster than it ruins anything else in that load.
Frequently Asked Questions
So is it actually warmer than the regular Essentials hoodie?
Yes, in practice, since denser fleece traps more air. The regular hoodies sit at $80 to $90 and feel noticeably lighter when you pick one up, which honestly makes them better for a 55°F evening or for wearing around the house. The 1977 starts earning its keep somewhere in the thirties.
Does the Kids version run like the adult sizing?
I wouldn’t assume so. It’s listed in the same category, but kids’ sizing is its own system and the unisex note covers the adult pieces. Measure your kid’s chest against the listing you’re buying and leave a little room — slightly big in October fits properly in March.
If my color sells out, will it come back?
Maybe. The store says plainly that a color won’t necessarily be restocked, and fourteen pieces isn’t much depth. Black and Brown tend to stick around. Iron or Dark Oatmeal, less so.
So that’s the case for it, more or less — heavier fleece, a short lineup, unisex sizing that runs wide, and a price with almost nothing to do with the old tag. Measure your chest first. Then pick a color you’ll still like next winter, and give the shipping window more room than you reckon you need.
