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Fear of God is a high end athleisure brand being worn by the likes of Selena Gomez, Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Kanye West. It wasn’t always this way, though. Founder Jerry Lorenzo launched Fear of God in 2013. Yes, the same Jerry Lorenzo who managed former Los Angeles Dodger Matt Kemp. He did a whole host of things before he finally settled into what it seems he was made for.
Fear of God didn’t start off strong. It has always been a high-end essentials brand, but its real climb to fame came in 2020. With millions of Americans forced to stay home, they turned to comfort foods and comfort clothes. In comes, Fear of God. If you need to stay home all day every day for months on end, you might as well be luxuriously comfortable doing it. What has happened to Fear of God since 2020 to make it the powerhouse it is today? Read on to find out.
Let’s Talk Jerry Lorenzo
Jerry Lorenzo is the founder of Fear of God. Prior to becoming a fashion designer, Jerry had his hands in a multitude of different things. His schooling started at Florida A&M University and then he moved on to Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles to obtain an MBA. While going to graduate school, he worked at Diesel in the stockroom and storefront.
After graduation, he took on a sports management role handling scholarships and partnerships for the Los Angeles Dodgers, to managing Dodgers star Matt Kemp. All the while, Jerry was also hosting extravagant parties. These parties attracted a lot of people from the sports and music world, and made Lorenzo money at the same time. It was with that money that he started producing clothing.
Fear Of God : How It Started
In 2011, Jerry started playing around with different designs. A short-sleeved hoodie, an elongated t-shirt, and about a year afterwards, thanks to wife, Desiree Manuel, he got in with American rapper, Big Sean. That seemed to be just the rabbit hole he needed to jump down. Shortly after getting hooked up with Big Sean, Lorenzo was approached by Kanye West.
From there he took off on a sprint, designing tour merchandise and getting connected with other brands and celebrities. Working with Nike, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Vans, to name a few. Usher in 2015 and the launch of F.O.G., an essentials collection with PacSun. Lorenzo wanted to widen his client base, by making a more affordable clothing line; in addition to Fear of God, he did just that.
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Fear Of God 2020
In 2020, Fear of God became one of the top 20 hottest brands of the year. This was a first for Lorenzo and it didn’t stop there. StockX reported that Fear of God was the third best-selling brand on their resale site, outselling the incredibly famous Supreme box logo shirt by over 10,000 units. By 2021, the brand was being searched for and engaged with more than ever before. Consumers had one thing in mind.
Essentials
Essentials is a diffused line of Fear of God. About the only way a person can get through social media without seeing an Essential tracksuit is with their eyes closed. Hypebeasts and influencers alike cannot get enough of them. What is so special about a sweat suit? What isn’t special about this particular one is the better question.
Quality craftsmanship and fabric. When it comes down to it, that is all any high end, luxury item is. There is time and effort put into the construction of this apparel, and it shows. “Fear of God has taken familiar elements from American workwear and sportswear: denim, engineer’s jackets, varsity sweatshirts, overalls, and jogging bottoms – combining them with unstructured, oversized 80s Armani-style tailoring,” said Jay McCauley Bowstead, a cultural and historical studies lecturer at London College of Fashion and author of Menswear Revolution.
Fear Of God x Adidas
What is next for Jerry Lorenzo and the Fear of God line? Get ready because he is not slowing down anytime soon. Adidas officially announced its long-term partnership with Fear of God, in late 2020. This isn’t just any partnership, though. This is the launch of Fear of God athletics. This is the third major pillar of Fear of God, and will complete a cohesive look with the other two pillars; Essentials and Fear of God luxury apparel.
The main focus of the athletics line is basketball. Jerry has an amazingly authentic understanding of basketball and its roots. Bringing to the forefront the soul culture of the game and inspiring the next generation. He will now be taking on more of the lifestyle collection as well, thanks to the split between Adidas and Yeezy. While he teased everyone with a hoodie worn at the Lakers game last month, there is no set date for the official drop of the athletics line.
