The American high fashion label Fear of God was founded by Jerry Lorenzo in 2013. The religious imagery, ’90s grunge, and contemporary hip-hop, combined with layering and oversized proportions, consistently deliver classical, comfortable takes on all-American staples such as the hoodie, flannel, jeans, sweats, varsity jacket, and more. The self-taught designer’s Christian faith drives much of his work, as evidenced by the name, but in no way is it meant to be ironic. Lorenzo himself said the name comes from a deep reverence for the Lord and, on the other hand, not knowing Him and the fear associated with being separated from an all-powerful being.
As the son of former Major League Baseball Manager Jerry Manuel, Lorenzo had worked for the Los Angeles Dodgers and managed former Dodgers All-Star Matt Kemp right after college. While looking for pieces that would fit Kemp, Lorenzo could not find anything to his liking. He started experimenting with elevating clothing that was refined and not too dressy. During this time, he was also the host of JL Nights, a thriving LA club that was visited by many entertainers and was able to build many important relationships. Thus began the entirely self-funded journey for Fear of God, endorsed by A-list celebrities including David Beckham, Rihanna, Beyoncé, and Gigi Hadid today. Big Sean first wore one of his outfits and then Kanye West noticed, flew Manuel out to Paris, and then hired him on the spot. Working on Kanye’s A.P.C. collaboration, Yeezus tour merch and Kanye’s Yeezy Adidas footwear line changed Lorenzo’s life. He claims that Kanye’s single “Jesus Walks” gave him the courage to start his own brand. Everything came full circle when Kanye wore Fear of God ripped denim jeans at the 2016 Met Gala defying the white tie dress code.
Jerry Lorenzo has also designed wardrobes for many tours, including pop artist Justin Bieber’s worldwide Purpose tour in 2016, Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN tour in 2017, and Janet Jackson’s State of World tour in 2017. Bieber notably sold an old tour shirt of Marilyn Manson’s at Barneys New York and reinterpreted it as his own merchandise with the phrase “Bigger than Satan” and his name in goth metal script on the back of the T-shirt. Lorenzo’s extensive personal collection of rare vintage rock band tees has been well-documented, so it is no surprise to see him incorporate those themes into his broader portfolio. Kendrick got fitted with a custom black satin baseball coach’s jacket with his last name on the back in white lettering. He was also gifted a yellow Fear of God tracksuit paying homage to Bruce Lee. Jay-Z also teamed up with Lorenzo for an exclusive release of clothing for his 2017 Grammy-nominated album 4:44 at Maxfield LA. The collection and album reference the Bible verse John 4:44 which states, “A prophet is without honor in his own country.”
Fear of God has previously collaborated with brands
Among Fear of God’s more well-known and affordable collaborations were with Pacsun in 2015 and Vans in 2016 to release hyped models of the Old Skool Vans. For the first drop, they released the Vans Era 95. For the second drop, they released three different models: Authentic, Mountain Edition, Style 147 Slip-On. Fear of God’s all-over repeating print is the signature look on these shoes. Each shoe came in two colorways: red/black and black/white. The Vans Era 95 still
Most notably, his biggest collaboration ever was with Nike on two performance basketball shoes called the Nike Air Fear of God 1 (retail $350) and the Nike Air Fear of God Shoot Around (retail $300), which released on December 15 in Black and on January 16 in Light Bone. The shoes were in development for two-and-a-half years and Lorenzo’s 6th FOG collection was developed alongside it, which explains their appearance in the 6th Collection lookbook video. Echoes of his luxury sneakers for FOG can be seen in his Nike collaboration. He also created 10 pieces of apparel for the collection meant to be for players before and after they step on the court. There are other colorways being released this summer: Orange Pulse, Frosted Spruce, and Amarillo (Yellow). Jerry Lorenzo was spotted rocking the eye-catching yellow colorway on the Complex show with musician John Mayer, presumably to celebrate the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. The shoes are meant to be basketball shoes and have been worn on the court most notably by LeBron James and Houston Rockets small forward PJ Tucker. I’m glad that Jerry designed a brand-new silhouette, especially a basketball sneaker, instead of modifying an existing silhouette. Having the option to design for football or baseball, he chose basketball because of sneaker culture and streetwear’s roots in the sport starting in 1985, when Michael Jordan momentously stepped on the court in his first signature sneaker, the Air Jordan 1, that inspired a generation of creatives. This comes at a game-changing time, since the NBA recently announced in August that it would remove all color restrictions on sneakers for the first time in history.
No stranger to generosity and basketball, Lorenzo gave back to his high school, Wellington High, by delivering the highly coveted Air Fear of God 1 Light Bone for free to both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. Jerry was a 1995 alum and former high school basketball player, which holds even more significance in light of the generous donation. In the past, he has also donated Fear of God sneakers that cost $1,095 and two truckload’s worth of his brand’s wares and water to the homeless on LA’s Skid Row. He also teased different unseen colorways of the high-top sneaker model on his Instagram meant for his alma mater, Florida A&M University. According to Lorenzo, the neon green and orange colorways meant for the HBCU’s athletic teams are among 20 to 30 colorways that he sampled during the process and some will see the light of day while others will remain in the dark. Anyway, it is always exciting to see a glimpse of a designer’s thought process.
Lorenzo also had the 1992 silhouette of the Nike Air Skylon II releasing in both Black and White. The shiny Swoosh and leather lining make for a subtle, luxurious shoe. There will be a Light Bone colorway releasing this year too. And as part of the FOG Essentials F/W 2018 line, Lorenzo also released a Fear of God Converse Chuck 70 High in “Black” and “Natural” with a contrasting leather tongue, rubber toe cap, and co-branded license plates. The elongated white laces that wrap around the ankle collar are a nice nod to Converse purists. That is not all Jerry has planned with the Swoosh for 2019. There will be an Air Fear of God Moccasin retailing for $170 and an Air Fear of God 180 retailing for $190.
Fear of God’s 6th collection that finally dropped in January featured actor and singer Jared Leto. 6th collection literally means Lorenzo’s 6th collection because he does not abide by the traditional fashion calendar where brands regularly release product each season (Spring/Summer, Fall/Winter). The standout pieces of the collection are clearly the outerwear as Lorenzo hits the mark. The neutral tones and western prairie vibes continue the brand’s solid run. As an independent designer, I hope to see even more phenomenal work. Of course, there will always be the haters who doubt Lorenzo’s religious beliefs or are upset with his lifting other designers’ work for his own. However, you cannot deny that he has turned fashion on its head and accomplished quite the rise from preorder-only Fear of God collections to sold out Nike collaborations. Bless up.
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