Fear of God at the Hollywood Bowl: Inside the Brand’s First-Ever Fashion Show

One can only speculate how Kanye “Ye” West must have felt at last night’s Fear of God show in Los Angeles. Even before anyone realized a mask-donning Ye had slipped into a stageside seat, the signs that Fear of God designer Jerry Lorenzo had successfully picked up the torch of sophisticated California comfort that Ye first lit were everywhere.  

The setting itself was a testament to how grand Lorenzo’s vision for Fear of God has become, and how big the business has gotten. For the brand’s first fashion show in its ten years, Lorenzo took over the Hollywood Bowl, which, in a backstage interview following the show, he called one of his favorite places in LA. “I’ve never believed in just speaking every opportunity you get,” he said of the brand’s long-awaited runway debut. “And I really feel like I finally had something to say. I feel like my resources, my craft, my ability have caught up to my storytelling.” 

Guests streamed out of black cars in droves as the sun set over the Hollywood Hills. A sizable proportion of the several thousand attendees were outfitted in the dusty shades of greige and ice and navy that form Fear of God’s primary palette, and which have come to define the refined tones of contemporary SoCal style. Everyone was dolled up for a fashion show, sure, but they would have easily fit right in at LAX or Erewhon. 

The guest list rivaled the Coachella lineup in wattage, with a wide cross-section of LA society in attendance that spoke to the pop cultural firepower Fear of God now commands: Tyler the Creator held court in a box down the way from Squid Game star Hoyeon. Pete Wentz slid past Tessa Thompson and Lena Waithe in search of his seat. The Online Ceramics guys caught up with fellow local artists as guests milled about. “I have a million rappers and athletes here,” said one high-powered talent manager, in search of a few of them. There were as many members of the fashion press there, too. Basically, if a meteor had struck the Hollywood Bowl last night, there would be no more fashion magazines, or people to be in them. 

Once night had long settled over the Bowl, and the English songwriter Sampha had belted out some tunes at the piano, celestial clouds on a massive suspended video screen began to float over the stage. Lorenzo is deeply devout (Fear of God is not just a cool brand name), and he sees dressing as almost a spiritual act. Often his clothes, for all their ease, appear as pristine and purified as ecclesiastical robes. As the Hollywood Cross shone brightly over the 101 in the distance, it became clear this was not just a fashion show but a gathering of Lorenzo’s congregation. 

The strongest parallel to Ye’s now-dormant Yeezy project was the highly anticipated debut of Fear of God Athletics, a collaboration between Lorenzo and Adidas that’s been germinating for years. Its launch couldn’t come at a more critical time for the Three Stripes, which in October terminated its incredibly lucrative, culture-shifting partnership with Ye, leaving the German sportswear giant in need of another major hit. This preview looked to be a more elevated offering, with shiny wool basketball shorts and suede western-fringe jeans tagged on the seams with a subtle new three-stripes band. Other pieces pointed to an aspirational point of view, with the classic Adidas track pants cut in lavish velvet, and high-top sneakers made with rough suedes. Will Adidas try to expand the partnership to Fear of God’s rocketship Essentials line, the entry-level everyday collection that’s been a runaway commercial success? Time will tell. “We’ve been working with Adidas for the past two and a half years and like everything that we do, I believe everything was written before it happens,” Lorenzo said.