designer spotlight

jerry lorenzo


Words: Chekii Harling,  Photography: Paolo Zerbini

Join us poolside at Jerry Lorenzo’s LA home as we speak to the Fear of God designer about his latest collection, upcycled materials and building a cult celebrity following. 

designer spotlight

jerry lorenzo

Words: Chekii Harling
Photography: Paolo Zerbini

Join us poolside at Jerry Lorenzo’s LA home as we speak to the Fear of God designer about his latest collection, upcycled materials and building a cult celebrity following.

Jerry Lorenzo may have been a late starter in the fashion world, but he’s certainly made up for lost time. Since launching in 2013, Fear of God has become one of the most sought-after fashion brands with its fusion of streetwear statements, subtly luxurious finishes and upcycled materials. Jerry has also worked extensively with Kanye West; designed tour merch for Justin Bieber, Jay Z and Kendrick Lamar; and created his own Nike shoes. Not bad going for a self-taught designer who has only been working in the business for seven years (Jerry’s previous jobs included sports marketing and party promotion).

Taking cues from the hip-hop stars and sporting heroes of the 1990s, Fear of God creates pieces that are simultaneously seasonless and contemporary, comfortable and polished. Think red-plaid flannels with side zips layered over waffle-knit thermal shirts, drop-crotch shorts and oversized bomber jackets. Precisely proportioned and free from garish logos, these styles have, unsurprisingly, garnered a solid celebrity fan base that includes Hailey Baldwin, David Beckham and Kendall Jenner.

We caught up with Jerry Lorenzo over Zoom from his base in L.A. to talk about his childhood spent following his dad’s professional baseball career, reusing existing materials in his collections, and why he doesn’t follow the seasonal fashion calendar.

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Jerry Lorenzo at home in LA wearing a vintage t-shirt and sweatpants by Fear of God. Photographed by Paolo Zerbini 

How did you become involved in the world of fashion? 

Everyone has been ‘in’ fashion the whole of their lives, whether they recognise it or not; we all make decisions about how we want to present ourselves to the world. In the late 1990s, I worked on the shop floor for brands like Diesel. I loved sports, but the nuances of understanding what people were looking for came easier to me. When I had the idea of starting my own clothing line, I knew what people wanted.
 

Why did you decide to name the brand Fear of God?

Growing up in a Christian household, so much of my perspective on life was informed by my belief system. The name comes from a Bible verse that talks about clouds, peace and darkness around the Kingdom of God.

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Jerry Lorenzo at home in LA. Photographed by Paolo Zerbini
 

What was your upbringing like, and how has it shaped you 

I moved around a lot as a kid, as we followed my dad’s professional baseball career. You learn a lot [by] being exposed to many different cultures but are also constantly faced with the responsibility of fitting in seamlessly. I used fashion to not feel like an outsider. We always want [to give] our customers the freedom to be who they are while providing solutions that make them appropriate for whatever situation they may find themselves in that day.
 

What fabrics do you work with, and where do you source them from? 

We’re living in 2020: we can get fabrics from all over the world, so we tend to go best in class. We get a lot of our denims and canvas from Japan; nylons and the materials for our footwear and tailored garments usually come from Italy, as will our wools when we move into knitwear this year.


It’s not sustainable for me to put out four collections a year – there comes a point when that becomes dishonest and you lose the purpose of what you are doing.

NEOUS ROSSI SLINGBACK HEELED SANDAL
Fear of God SS20 Essentials. Photographed by Shaniqwa Jarvis 

Why don’t you adhere to the fashion calendar?

It’s not sustainable for me to put out four collections a year – there comes a point when that becomes dishonest, and you lose the purpose of what you are doing. I am self-taught and have been doing this for seven years, so ideas and development with my team take a little longer.
 

What advice would you give to people who want to go into fashion but haven’t had any traditional training? 

Have a strong vision of what you want to say because this can carry you through the process of learning. I learnt a lot by doing things the wrong way.

Fear of God SS20 Essentials. Photographed by Shaniqwa Jarvis

Do you think that those mistakes made you a better designer in the long run?

If you look at it as wins and losses, there are definitely more losses than there are wins, but if you look at it as learning, then you know you are always going to be on top.
 

Where do you look for inspiration?

Much [of my] perspective on aesthetics has been informed by different subcultures that surrounded me as a kid in the 90s – rock’n’roll, hip-hop music, skate culture. If you look at tailoring of that time, the suits and T-shirts were looser. I hate the idea of people thinking that I’m something that I’m not, so I always present myself in a way that is rooted in honesty.

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Jerry Lorenzo with his son, 9 years of age, at home in LA. Photographed by Paolo Zerbini 

What did your life look like in the late 80s and early 90s?

Ah, man! I was a young kid in junior high school. My aspirational figures were athletes – Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and the music stars of those times. A lot of my fashion knowledge came from these larger-than-life superheroes; fashion was just a part of who they were.

What do you think has drawn so many high-profile celebrities to the brand?

They love the easiness of it and the fact that there aren’t a lot of logos or artwork. I am grateful for the magnifying glass that celebrities have brought to the brand, but I love people wearing it whether they are a celebrity or not.


I have always used fashion as a way to not feel like an outsider

NEOUS ROSSI SLINGBACK HEELED SANDAL
Fear of God SS20 Essentials. Photographed by Shaniqwa Jarvis 

In many of your collections you’ve used some existing materials, why is this important

Since our third collection, we have integrated existing materials such as US military sleeping bags from the Vietnam War and repurposed postal bags from the 30s and 40s. The sixth collection was a story about this all-American open road, a blue-collar point of view – there were lots of workwear-inspired canvas pieces mixed with jersey and California fabrications.


What did these become?

The postal bags were turned into workwear jackets, snap-away cargo pants and an oversized tote. The mailbags were back in the days of the third collection. It’s really cool seeing a brand-new piece in an older material – you get this distressing and wear-and-tear in areas that you wouldn’t expect to.

 

Where do you source these existing materials from?

One of the great things about L.A. is that there are tonnes of vintage suppliers in downtown.

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Fear of God SS20 Essentials. Photographed by Shaniqwa Jarvis 

There’s this guy who sells military bags. It took us a while, but, once we did, it was like discovering a pot of gold.
 

What has been your greatest achievement since launching Fear of God?

People used to buy sneakers with the purpose of buying them and holding onto them until your shoelaces are broken. Nowadays, kids are buying things and maybe wearing them once or twice and reselling them. Making influential products that people want to buy is an achievement in itself.
 

What does the future hold for Fear of God? 

Immediately speaking, our seventh collection is around the corner, and we have lots of collaborations on the way with some great brands. My vision for the future remains extremely bright: we don’t depend on the market, trends or celebrity to sustain us – we are making pieces that are good enough to make a space for themselves.