Fear of God was officially launched in 2013 by founder, Jerry Lorenzo Manuel Jr. (son of professional baseball player and coach, Jerry Manuel). As a child, Jerry Lorenzo's family moved frequently to stay close to his father, and throughout his adolescence, his family lived paycheck to paycheck. Although life wasn't as secure as they'd hoped, the Manuel family remained very close to their Christian faith and made God the center of their household. 

Jerry Lorenzo eventually moved to Los Angeles to attend college, and worked part time as a Diesel stock room employee after classes. He didn't look "cool enough" to be on the sales floor, so Lorenzo spent two years in the stock room understanding product and fit until he finally proved his ability to sell on the salesfloor. Once Lorenzo graduated from Loyola Marymount with his MBA, he left Diesel to work for the Dodgers in hopes of pursuing a career as a sports agent, a familiar space having grown up in a professional baseball household. This role eventually led him to Chicago where he worked for a reputable sports agency and befriended Virgil Abloh.

Lorenzo returned to L.A. in 2008 to find his true passion. He began working as a club promoter in the meantime to bring himself financial security. During these years, he admits to being distant towards God; he even dropped his last name and referred to himself as Jerry Lorenzo because he didn't want to bring shame to his father's name. After becoming a father himeself, he knew he wanted to make a living doing something meaningful and more "honorable" to set an example for his children. At this point, Lorenzo quit the promoting business and took the $14,000 he had in savings to start his own brand, Fear of God.

With no formal design training or history working with fabric and clothing production, Lorenzo was duped and stolen from by people in the industry. During such a disheartening period, his wife gave birth to twin girls, which motivated him to keep pushing for his dream even harder. 

Lorenzo launched his first collection in 2013, during a time when he was refocusing his life and faith. These pieces were inspired by the few secular influences he had as a child - Kurt Cobain, John Bender from The Breakfast Club, and Allen Iverson. The thoughtfully crafted, seasonless pieces made from high end fabrics were described as "solution based" - clothes you can throw on without much thought or effort. Abloh called Lorenzo within weeks after the launch and asked him to share his debut collection with Kanye West. He hopped on a plane to Atlantic City and the rest was history. Kanye invited Lorenzo to work with him on an A.P.C. collaboration in Paris, and later had him working on other projects like his Yeezus tour merch and Yeezy Season One.

After parting ways with Kanye, Justin Bieber approached Lorenzo to help him with his Purpose world tour merch and styling. Although at risk of killing his brand by doing this, Lorenzo felt a deep connection with Bieber, who was going through a spiritual transformation at this time and wanted to represent his overcomings and new-found purpose in all aspects of his tour - even the clothing. Lorenzo ultimately accepted and created unique pieces that ended up being so successful, they were sold in stores beyond just the tour venue - changing the tour merch game entirely.
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The name, Fear of God, is a reference to Lorenzo's strong faith, but he dismisses the idea that it is a Christian brand. He says, "It's a brand that represents stuff I like. God just happens to be one of those things." Knowing that fame and success can be fleeting, Lorenzo is humbled by the platform he has been able to build and sees the importance of representing for who he knows put him in this position. He has no desire to be a $100M fashion house, he doesn't even have investors or partners to report to. This gives him the flexibility to create his own release cadence, donate his clothes to the homeless in Skid Row, and do things his own way for the right reasons - living by the values at the heart of the brand. 



Fear of God

Prada was founded in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother, Martino. He opened the first Prada store the same year in the prestigious Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II in Milan, Italy. Here, he sold leather goods like bags, trunks, steamers, and travel accessories.

In 1919, Prada was awarded the title of Official Supplier of the Italian Royal House. With this distinction, Prada was allowed to display the House of Savoy coat of arms and knotted rope design in its trademark logo. This honor is what makes Prada a symbol of the Italian high and upper-middle class.

In the these traditional times, Mario Prada did not believe women should work outside the home and prevented his female family members from working for the company. Ironically, his only son had no interest in being the successor of the family business. Mario's daughter, Luisa Prada took over and ran the business for almost two decades.

In the mid-1970s, Luisa’s daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the business, initially working on the accessories designs. She successfully continued the tradition of producing high-quality bags and luggage for the brand.

In 1977, Miuccia Prada is introduced to Patrizio Bertelli, a young Italian with his own leather goods business. He partnered with Miuccia and took the Prada business in a new, global direction. The two eventually married.

A womenswear line was introduced in the late 80s and the fashion world fell in love with Prada’s quality fabrics, clean lines, and color selections. Prada became one of the most coveted brands in the fashion by the early 1990s.

The Prada Group has since acquired brands like Jil Sander, Helmut Lang, and Church & Co. The company is still led by CEO Patrizio Bertelli and CEO/Head Designer Miuccia Prada.

Prada

Showcasing a subversive vision, London-based label Martine Rose draws inspiration from elements of the early 90s-era rave and hip hop culture and proposes a transgressive range of reinterpreted menswear staples. Oversized French terry hoodies, sweatshirts, and bonded cotton shirts are blown-out into exaggerated proportions. Signature wide-leg jeans, billowing cord trousers, and denim jackets make a strong statement. Nylon flight jackets and athletic windbreakers are rendered in deconstructed silhouettes. Embroidered patches, cursive logos, and striped rib knit trims elevate to soccer shirts and basic tees. Unexpected draping, ruching, and cut-out accents reveal the label’s discerning eye for detail.

Martine Rose

Issey Miyake’s Homme Plissé line is centered around the designer’s innovative garment pleating technique that has been a fan favorite of Miyake’s work for decades. Originally developed in 1993 for womenswear, the “Pleats Please” garments are constructed with polyester micro-pleats that are flexible, wrinkle-free and quick-drying. Beyond their practical benefits, Issey Miyake’s Homme Plissé menswear products feature sleek tailor and creative use of the durable fabric. 

Homme Plisse Issey Miyake

Auralee is a Japanese fashion brand founded in 2015 by Ryota Iwai. After serving as an assistant at the knitwear brand Norikoike, Iwai started his own textile-focused brand with the name derived from an American folk song. 

Inspiration for Auralee’s collections are drawn from various sources, from the colors Iwai comes across in his daily life to the feel of different materials and textures he sources. Iwai takes time extensively researching high-quality raw materials and yarns that he sources from Japan and all over the world. By choosing a specific color or new material to highlight each season, Iwai brings a distinctive character to each of his projects in his approach to design. Despite the uniqueness of each collection, high quality remains consistent, producing pieces that are elegant, effortless, and functional. 

Iwai opened Auralee’s first shop in Aoyama, Tokyo in 2017 and was selected as the 2nd Fashion Prize of Tokyo the following year. 
