Fear of God Marks 10th Anniversary with Debut Runway Show at the Hollywood Bowl

Fear of God made its runway debut, nestled between Coachella, the audience that descended to Hollywood Bowl could rival that of any lineup. Founded in 2013 in Los Angeles, many of the pieces are made in Italy, but a good amount is made in Los Angeles where everything is designed, making it hard to imagine their debut show anywhere else.

Over the decade, Jerry Lorenzo has strongly built a fanbase with timeless shapes where the quality can be felt from the weight of the denim to the drape of the cotton challenging the notion of “elevated basics” through craftsmanship and distinct tailoring. While dubbed “street wear” earlier in the brand’s history, a better tag word could have been genderless, it was almost equally accepted by women as men and worn as a uniform by digital nomads.

Opening the Fall Winter 2023/24 collection show in black tailoring was America Gonzalez, while greige has become synonymous with the brand along with neutrals as their primary palette, yellow and fade green were brought in along with faux fur challenging the texturescape along with the sophistication of everyday realities. Signature slouchy tailored outerwear was challenged with tailored coats and soft suits. Like how Essentials courted millennials, the preview of Athletics with Adidas will be courting Gen Z. There are still signs of nomadic roots, where cuts and shapes can transcend cultures, making up a broader appeal. Still, fashion is starting to look more homogenous and copying is rampant, so the timing was right, that a brand with a vision after ten years, puts a stamp on it with a show.

With the grandeur of the cinema, Ray Charles sang “America The Beautiful” at the end as fireworks sparkled into the sky. This unapologetic patriotism is rarely seen in Europe, it would seem out of place seeing a British designer doing it after Brexit or any French luxury house as just a few weeks ago French pension protesters flooded LVMH headquarters in Paris. But American luxury in the 21st century has still been in an infantile place as if they needed to define luxury first, which is hard Stateside when they are encouraged to chase mass market appeal and price points.

While Lorenzo, whose mood is always effortless cool chic, has drawn comparisons with Ralph Lauren. However, it is hard not to draw comparisons to Armani who brought a minimalist luxury seen across LA in the 80s and further built his empire. These days courtside at the Laker’s games you will find Fear of God, but it also isn’t out of place in the courtyards in Paris and Milan thanks to the validation of their collaboration with Zegna a few seasons ago. Meanwhile in recent years, what Jacquemus is for the South of France, Lorenzo is to SoCal.

After such a big debut show, the question is, what’s next? The future of Fear of God is really in opening their own stores, where they can control the shopping experience and surrounding environment, whether that’s Seoul, London, or Los Angeles. We can expect more experimentation or collaborations, but I see new product categories in jewelry or watches or fragrances, or home goods. Their global fanbase is there, their quality is there, and most evidently, their faith is there.

By Anna Barr