The Innovators and Inspirations for Streetwear

Someone with I think more of a subtle impact on streetwear, at the higher market levels specifically would be Jerry Lorenzo and Fear Of God, with Essentials really taking off in the past couple of years. Something that has taken the world by storm is the earthy tone aesthetic that we see the likes of Yeezy and Fear of God take inspiration from, this palette of brown, grey, tan and white etc. This has not only been a trend within fashion, but interior design as well, and this something that Fear Of God have become known for, creating that earthy but modern luxury streetwear brand that oozes casual sophistication.

Jerry Lorenzo started his own brand after years of representing and marketing in the American sports scene, after gaining experience and crediting this as crucial for in teaching him how “important branding and creating desirability around an experience/product is.” (Everything you need to know about Jerry Lorenzo and Fear of God, 2021). This was something that he carries as one of his brand values and you can visibly see this with the way FoG release their collections, never rushing and always of the highest quality. FoG is built off creating styling pieces that Lorenzo hadn’t previously scene or garments that he thought lacked and need innovation or elevation in his case.

“Gender doesn’t constrict his designs, he instead focuses on unisex shapes to be worn by everyone. Fear of God has also collaborated with myriad brands such as Converse, Nike, Adidas, and, recently, luxury menswear brand Zegna.”

(Everything you need to know about Jerry Lorenzo and Fear of God, 2021) Images showing Fear of God’s multipe collections such as the Seventh Collection, (Poole, 2020) Image showing FoG essential collection with Mr Porter (Cambe, 2022)

Fear of God then released a diffusion brand called Essentials, a bridge brand that sells loungewear and athleisure wear. This has become one of Lorenzo’s most popular outputs, as we entered 2020 and lockdown, stylish joggers, tracksuits and t-shirts became very much in demand and we saw a massive surge in popularity for this brand, as it still boasted those earthy tones and a touch of luxury that really played to Instagram influencers and mainstream celebrities alike. This quickly became part of the streetwear uniform over 2020, with the resell market well and truly taking off on these, making retailers like Selfridges, SSense and End Clothing sell out in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

The hype of the brand really drove the popularity of Essentials, the brand was questioned as some felt it a bit, basic shall we say, for the price point. But really the brand focuses on quality, wearability and comfort over hype or over-exaggerated branding, Christopher Morency, the editorial director of Highsnobiety, said this about the brand “The brand doesn’t have to hide behind empty hype, loud graphics or difficult silhouettes,” he says. “When stripped back to its bare essentials, quality and construction stand on their own.” (Toner, 2021). This backs up the idea of creating quality and longevity, this is where Fear of God’s quality really kicks in and people discover a new side to streetwear that maybe they’re not used to, called silent streetwear. This is the idea of using clean-cut silhouettes and a more minimalistic approach to creation, leaving out colourful graphics and intricate subcultural references. Essentials, have managed to create this, whilst still creating a clear image that people can associate with and want to get involved in.

Like I said, we saw this rise in popularity due to lockdown and people wanting to be comfy whilst in lockdown and stuck at home, but why Essentials? An expensive and exclusive brand? Why not cheap and easily accessible alternatives? Essentials provided a good split of hype and exclusivity and also a more sustainable approach that gave the consumer a product with longevity and quality like we’ve mentioned. This has been a trend that activewear has been on for a while, with a steady rise in value in the industry. “In fact, the global activewear market is now expected to be worth nearly $547 billion by 2024, according to Allied Market Research.” (Ell, 2020), this supports the fact that we’ll see the younger generations wear activewear as a lifestyle choice and not just as workout gear. Essentials was a comfortable in-between for a lot of people and more and more brands will follow suit, in a higher quality and more sustainable way. 19