In the ten years since Jerry Lorenzo founded Fear of God, the Los Angeles based brand has gained a die-hard cult following for its neutral-coded renditions of classic American silhouettes into contemporary, high-end sportswear. A decade deep, and Lorenzo has placed the brand’s first runway presentation at the Hollywood Bowl, where the tone was set with a stunningly pared-back performance by London-based singer-songwriter, Sampha. 

After Sampha’s departure from the amphitheater stage, Nina Simone’s cover of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” a haunting song that was written about the Jim Crow era in the United States, rang throughout the atmosphere before morphing into Kanye West’s “Blood On The Leaves,” which samples the cover. Just in the choice of music playing, before a single look came down the runway, Lorenzo’s message was clear; Black trauma and exploitation are intricately intertwined, and furthermore inseparable from American luxury. 

Attended by several thousands, the showing in the LA homebase for Fear of God felt equal parts celebratory and pensive. The looks themselves were an elaboration upon the brand’s past decade chock-full of successes, further elevated by carefully curated layering and sharply tailored garments. Opening the collection was a series of entirely-black looks; trousers were loose, suit jacket shoulders were broad, and leather wrap belts were used to give a slight cinch to the boxy-silhouetted garments. 

What followed was a range of looks that were presented in Fear of God’s notorious myriad of neutrals; milky off-white, warm caramel, butter yellow, and charcoal gray. Overcoats constructed out of smooth leather scrumptiously gathered atop of the models bodies, while shearling bombers offered a comfortable sense of protection. Woolen past-the-knee basketball shorts were worn atop longer tailored trousers; speaking to the pertinent place that activewear has within a contemporary luxury market.

The LA-based label has collaborated with adidas, a natural combining of forces that led to the creation of shorts, hats, and bowling bags. Lorenzo uses bright splashes of color sparingly, with the only loud use of color sprouting from leather gloves that are offered in true blue and bold green. Lorenzo’s persistence in creating tonally-quiet garments allows for his silhouettes to truly sing; these oversized garments have had quite an impact on American fashion in the past decade since the brand’s inception.

Lorenzo has used his inaugural runway show for Fear of God as both a reflection and celebration on how American sportswear is steeped in Black history, applaudable in not only the presentation itself, but in the garments that took the stage. The showing feels like it has been a long time coming, with a decade’s worth of work to elaborate on and a message that is paramount to the clothing that was presented. Closing out with a firework show that lit up the night sky, there was much to be celebrated.