Jerry Lorenzo sold Bieber concert tees using religion a line snaked from Mercer Street to Sixth Avenue at the VFiles store on Mercer Street, a curious intersection of hysterical Justin Bieber fans and apathetically cool streetwear acolytes. What is the cause? People were able to purchase Purpose World Tour merchandise at the pop-up store outside of a venue for the first time. The collection, which included tees, sweatshirts, and Essential hoodie sprinkled with Bible references, was inspired equally by designers like Vetements and Raf Simons. Fear of God’s label owner, Jerry Lorenzo, who helped design the merch, is the man behind its seemingly disparate appeal.
Despite believing in God, he admits he was not always a devout worshipper. As I came to L.A. I had a
time finding my place, and in doing so
difficult time finding my place, and in doing so, I began throwing parties. Since I didn’t want to tarnish the Manuel name, I used my middle name, Jerry Lorenzo.”
As Lorenzo refocused his life and his faith, his Fear of God label began to take shape. Lorenzo’s clothing line was founded in 2013 and is heavily influenced by the limited secular references he grew up with. Figures like the Breakfast Club’s John Bender, Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, and NBA bad boy Allen Iverson left a lasting impression on his mind.
Those trends are manifest in timeless pieces such as red-plaid flannels with side zips layering over waffle-knit thermal shirts, brown fear of god essentials hoodie, and oversize bomber jackets with ruched sleeves. Often they use vintage materials, like repurposed military sleeping bags, along with high-end fabrics from Japan and Italy. They are also very expensive – from $150 for a Japanese cotton T-shirt with dropped shoulders to $1,095 for an oversize nylon bomber jacket lined with silk.
Lorenzo describes
Lorenzo describes them as garments based on solutions, the kind that anyone can wear without having to think about it too much. Every layer complements the layer beneath it in this type of dressing. As well, it describes the current fashion trend that appears casual, yet is highly expensive.
Lorenzo releases his collections on his own schedule, unlike most traditional fashion brands. (His followers are aware of each collection release.)
Lorenzo, no matter how devout he is, is quick to dismiss the notion that his clothes are a direct expression of his faith, or that his clothes serve as a way to convert non-believers. As a result, he says he’s creating something that he’d love to see more of in the mainstream. “This is not a Christian brand,” he confirms. This is a brand that represents things he likes. One of those things is God.
The fear of God
In spite of its stark contrast to traditional Christian values, Lorenzo’s street culture does not fear recontextualizing its imagery. Skate magazine Thrasher sells merchandise featuring Jesus fish and Satanic pentagrams. Supreme.eme recently sold religious pamphlets-themed t-shirts. Virgil Abloh often references classic Caravaggio paintings in his Off-White and Givenchy collections.
Perhaps authenticity is the keyword here.
self-awareness.
self-awareness.. In spite of its stark contrast to traditional Christian values, Lorenzo’s street culture does not fear recontextualizing its imagery. Skate magazine Thrasher sells merchandise featuring Jesus fish and Satanic pentagrams. Supreme.eme recently sold religious pamphlets-themed t-shirts. Virgil Abloh often references classic Caravaggio paintings in his Off-White and Givenchy collections.
Perhaps authenticity is the keyword here.
Lorenzo does
Lorenzo does not view himself as a “designer” in the conventional sense. He’s more of a cultural sampler than a movie or music critic, like the references he mines for inspiration. inspiration. He fits within the paradigm of cult labels like Stüssy and Supreme, which reinterpreted skate, punk,Essentials shirt and reggae graphics for their graphic backbones. It is my intention to create light by using the pieces of culture that are typically associated with darkness.”
