A new luxury streetwear brand has been added to Williston students’ “drip list.”
Fear of God, a luxury fashion label, was founded in 2013 by Jerry Lorenzo. Lorenzo then went on to add a subsidiary to his label called Essentials in 2018. Vogue labelled Essentials as a “competitively priced sister label” to Fear of God.
Lorenzo was born in Sacramento, California and is the son of famous baseball player Jerry Manuel. He attended Florida A&M University and earned a business degree from Loyola Marymount University. After college, he had many different jobs including retail, managing sponsorships for the L.A Dodgers, and party promoting, which according to businessoffashion.com, “He credits with teaching him the importance of personal branding and creating desirability around an experience or product.”
Although he had no prior experience in the fashion world, Lorenzo self-funded his own clothing line after becoming a father. His debut was a massive success, recognized by American rapper and fashion designer Kanye West. West and Lorenzo then went on to collaborate on several projects including A.P.C, Yeezus Tour merchandise, and Yeezy Season One, which included modern clothing with neutral colors.
Many celebrities assisted with the growth in popularity of the Fear of God brand, including Justin Bieber, Kendrick Lamar, Colin Kaepernick, Michael B. Jordan, Ellen DeGeneres, Beyonce, and many more. These celebrities posted photos in Lorenzo’s pieces this past year and wore them to many events to help grow his brand.
Christianity is a big part of Lorenzo’s life, and inspired his brand’s name. Although it was made for spirituality purposes, Lorenzo told Interviewmagazine.com the meaning of Fear of God is up to customer interpretation.
“It could be a fear of God if you’re not in relationship with God, or it could be a reverence for God if you’re in relationship with him,” he said. “I think the way that the individual interprets it says more about the individual than it does about the brand. Some people look at it and they’re super inspired by the message, some people look at it and don’t think about it, and some people look at it and question it, and a conversation starts.”
Essentials is a branch to Fear Of God that is more affordable, but still has the Fear Of God aesthetic. The most popular item from Essentials, among Williston students, is the hooded sweatshirt, which ranges from $40 to $600.
Juliana Castelo, sophom*ore from Syosset, New York, told The Willistonian that she thinks the hoodies might be too expensive, but overall, worth the money.
“It’s kind of overpriced, but quality over quantity,” she said. “If it’s cute and I like it, then it’s worth it.”
Most of the hoodies say “Essentials” and “Fear Of God.” There is also a hoodie that says “1977” which is Lorenzo’s birth year.
Many people purchase from reseller websites such as “Goat” and “StockX” since they sell out on the Essentials website so fast. You can also find Essentials merchandise at Nordstrom and PacSun stores. Other popular products from the brand include knitwear, tops, bottoms, and footwear.
Weston Reardon, senior from Greenport, N.Y., likes his Essentials hoodie better than his other hoodies because it’s both fashionable and cozy.
“Its good drip for not too much money,” he said, “They’re worth buying because it’s a well-known brand and people may compliment you on it.”
The hoodies come in neutral colors like black, grey, light brown, dark brown, and white. This fits perfectly with the new neutral color and clean look trend.
Blue Meyerson, a sophom*ore from Seoul, Korea, is a fan of the Essentials hoodie and appreciates its minimalist style.
“I like it because it’s comfy, it’s simple, it goes with everything, and it is clean,” she said.
