Fashion designer Jerry Lorenzo and his iconic brand, Fear of God, are taking the fashion world by storm. From launching his first collection of Fear of God in 2013, Lorenzo immediately captured the attention and eyes of audiences around the world, particularly the celebrity market. Creating what he calls, “a solution to everyday wardrobe problems,” Lorenzo produces lines of luxury streetwear fabricated with the utmost quality products. While his simple base of luxury wear consists of bomber jackets, extra-long tees, short sleeve side-zip hoodies, and military sneakers (which retail over $1,000 a pair), each piece is constructed using top quality materials, like gold hardware or luxury Japanese denim, merging luxury high-fashion and streetwear together as one.
With an A-list cult following including Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian West, Kendall Jenner, Travis Scott and more, the hype for Lorenzo’s Fear of God is at an all-time high. And with the debut of his newest Fifth Collection, Lorenzo is bringing some of his family history into his new designs as he collaborates with New Era for the 1997 Collection, which launched in a pop-up shop during MLB-All Star Weekend in Miami at Alchemist. With a deep-rooted history in baseball—his father, Jerry Manuel, was a former baseball player and MLB coach—Lorenzo teamed up with New Era to launch 11 special FOG x New Era 59Fifty caps, part of the MLB-inspired collection.
Maintaining the Fear of God brand, all of the caps are made with wool fabric and other features worn on the field by the MLB players in the 1980s and 1990s and pay homage to former African-American MLB Stars like Dave Winfield (1981), Darryl Strawberry (1986, 1991), Andre Dawson (1989), Rickey Henderson (1991), Ken Griffey Jr. (1991, 1993, 2000), Jerry Manuel (1995, 1999) and Gary Sheffield (1996). The caps include the player’s name, year and team affiliation on the sweatband, jersey number on the back of the cap and official All-Star Game logo on the right-wear side of the cap. The former players collectively waived all royalty payments from the sale of the caps so that a donation could be made to the Jackie Robinson Foundation, of which $200,000 was raised and presented to the foundation at Alchemist on July 10th, 2017.
As the L.A.-based designer was in town to celebrate the star-studded weekend and the launch of his Fifth Collection and collaboration with New Era, Haute Living caught up with Lorenzo to find out more about the new line, why celebs connect so much with his brand and what’s next for him and Fear of God. Here’s the scoop:
HL: How did your collaboration with New Era and the MLB All-Stars transpire?
JL: It was really through fashion. The muse of my Fifth Collection was a high school athlete from the ‘90s, who wasn’t really educated on luxury fashion and whose style was just built on what he had in his closet. One of the cornerstones of his look was a fitted hat. Back in the ’90s, we did not wear snapbacks, we did not wear dad caps; you wore the official fitted hat. And so, in order for me to tell this story properly around my Fifth Collection, I needed to partner with New Era to remake this hat. We remade it domestically here in the old Buffalo factory. All the fabrications are 100-percent wool a 100-percent vintage—consistent with what used to be made—all the labels, even the green under the brim and the white taping. We did not miss a beat. Being a luxury American designer, I needed to propose what I felt was the most luxury hat, and to me that is a New Era fitted hat. It is not a dad hat or a snapback.
HL: How do you feel about the high fashion vs. streetwear dichotomy—with the concept of formal dress changing, do you think they will become one in the same?
JL: I think the only thing that separates luxury and streetwear, in the literal sense, is the way in which it was constructed, the way in which it was made. A lot of what we make can be considered streetwear garments—we make hoodies and tees and sweatpants, but these are all constructed to the highest level of standard. We do not miss anything when we create these products—every detail is noted and considered, and so I think the lines between street and luxury have always blurred. But, if you really want to take a look at what separates them, it’s how the pieces are made.
HL: Why do you think celebrities, everyone from Bieber to Kanye, connect so well with your personal style and Fear of God?
JL: I feel that those are guys that are just similar to who I am and I feel like I am creating solutions for what is missing in everyone’s wardrobe; in my mind, these guys are all similar to me and looking for the same things. When I see them wearing my stuff—of course it is humbling—I feel like I am simply solving problems. For example, if you’re missing the perfect bomber jacket, or dinner jacket, or you’re missing the perfect pair of jeans…I am giving them a solution for those items and proposing the alternative that I would want in my wardrobe.
HL: What’s next for you and Fear of God? Is there anything bigger you are building toward?
I’m not really building toward anything next specifically, but I am just trying to continue to not have to answer to anyone. I want to continue to make my own schedule and be able to provide for my family. I am really a simple, practical guy in those terms. I do not really have a financial goal in mind. But, I do want to continue to work for myself. I want to continue to show myself and my kids that you can have your own, you can own your own, and of course, that you can follow your dreams.
