A Complete Timeline Of Fear Of God Athletics By Jerry Lorenzo

Fear of God Athletics – the creative partnership between Jerry Lorenzo and adidas – is set to debut during the holidays.

Both partners have maintained relative discretion around the project, with information being disseminated across various channels, both official and speculative. As the world awaits to fully enjoy what Lorenzo and the Three Stripes have been cooking up, here’s a complete timeline of Fear of God Athletics.

Welcome to the Family, Jerry

December 20th, 2020

Jerry Lorenzo joined adidas on December 20th, 2020.

Prior to sending rumblings throughout the sportswear industry, the Fear of God-frontman had spent two years working with Nike, Inc. Although the American creative released several projects with the Swoosh conglomerate, his magnum opus was the Nike Air Fear of God 1. The last release of the original design – one which Lorenzo tirelessly fought for – took place via Instagram Shop exactly one month before the news of Lorenzo’s departure from Nike broke. The then-43-year-old didn’t directly comment on what led him to split with the North American behemoth, but an official press release from adidas provides insight into what likely caused the rift.

“The alliance challenges and exists beyond traditional collaboration –– and is the truest and most honest form of both personal and business relationship,” read the announcement’s official statement. “The partnership will also solidify the establishment and formation of the third pillar of the Fear of God house, Fear of God Athletics. The new pillar will focus on performance basketball and active lifestyle products that complete Fear of God’s triune nature and compliments the brand’s other two pillars, Essentials and Fear of God’s luxury mainline.”

As had happened to Kanye West during his tenure with Nike, Inc., it seems that Lorenzo was limited within his partnership. Every Fear of God x Nike collaboration quickly sold out – including the Converse Chuck 70 – which may have encouraged Lorenzo to ask for more bandwidth at the structural level. The final Air Fear of God 1’s release also hinted at a disagreement over production numbers and rollout: Lorenzo wrote in an Instagram post that only 100 pairs of the shoe had been produced and that he was “over the idea of only treating those closest to us and ‘influencers'” given that his brand’s success was a direct result of everyday folk. With adidas and Fear of God Athletics, however, Lorenzo seems to not only have full creative control, but also have a say in a larger part of the global business.

“Jerry’s authentic connection to sport, deep understanding of the footwear industry and past, and ability to reinterpret heritage and visualize the future excites us,” said Brian Grevy, adidas Executive Board Member for Global Brands, in the partnership’s announcement. “We look forward to working with him to inspire the next generation of basketball creatives, athletes and communities.”

Back in the Lab

January 28th, 2021

On January 28th, 2021, Lorenzo visited the adidas’ North American campus in Portland, Ore.

During his first visit to the Three Stripes’ headquarters, the Fear of God designer ran through the archives, examining footwear, apparel, and accessories from the brand’s 70+ year history. Additionally, Lorenzo immersed himself in some of the company’s top-of-the-line technology, exploring how adidas’ sport-driven innovation could inform Fear of God Athletics.

To demonstrate how supportive it was of its new collaborator, adidas allowed Lorenzo to operate the new sub-label from Los Angeles instead of Portland, a move similar to Kanye West and adidas Yeezy (first Calabasas, then Wyoming).

It Takes (At Least) Two

February 1st, 2021

“Any dream you can accomplish on your own, isn’t big enough,” wrote Jerry Lorenzo in an Instagram post welcoming Jason Mayden as President of the new line. Prior to joining Fear of God Athletics, the South Chicago-native spent 13 years at Nike, Inc., where he joined in 2001 as the company’s first Black industrial design intern.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mayden parted ways with Lorenzo in December 2022. His main role seems to have been related to negotiating the label’s standalone nature and multi-categorical product lineup.

A Seat at the Table

March 19th, 2021

adidas’ newest partners speak with the Complex Sneakers Show (previously the Complex Sneakers Podcast) over video call in what seems to be their earliest (and ultimately only) interview. During the roughly-56-minute-conversation, Jerry Lorenzo shares details about what happened at Nike and why the Three Stripes seemed like the perfect partner for the next chapter of his creative career.

On the importance of Mayden in the aftermath of his Swoosh deal:

When I kinda saw that Nike didn’t see the future in the same way that I saw the future in terms of Fear of God’s impact on the space, I knew I needed someone like Jason next to me to have these conversations with these potential other partners at a different level…We both are clear that we are trying to knock down doors for those who are coming after us.

On the difference in approach at adidas:

How are we making product that transcends time?…When I look to the relationship that I had with Nike, I feel like that was like, the 12, 13, 14-year-old aspirational relationship of like, wanting to be like [Michael Jordan] and all these other things that I got to do, and I’m so, you know, very humbled by the opportunity that Nike gave me. But as I look forward to the future, I feel like, at the end of the day, like I’m – Fear of God as a brand is just more in line with, I guess, adidas in a way that we both see the future, that we both see product.

On the idea of Fear of God Athletics:

It’s always been there…I approached Nike with – you know, at the time I was thinking of it as Fear of God Performance…I approached that with having a building at Nike one day…I don’t wanna just make a shoe just to collab and make a hype sneaker, I wanna make a sneaker that’s rooted in the foundation of the purpose of that product.

On the goal of working with adidas:

We were already super convicted that if we didn’t have at least an opinion or say of what’s happening with the rest of the category – we’re not just coming over here to uplift Fear of God Athletics and, you know, live in a silo, so to speak. We’d like the entire [basketball] category and the entire brand to uplift. And so, them giving us the opportunity to come in and direct the category as well just provides us more peace.

“I think we’re more valuable in the room and sitting at the table than we are just creating product,” concluded Lorenzo.

A Return to Portland

April 5th, 2021

Lorenzo and team traveled to adidas’ Portland campus again to “lay out the vision” for both Fear of God Athletics and adidas Basketball. Unlike their visit three months earlier, the team seemed more focused on setting the creative groundwork for the two projects instead of digging through archives.

A Court-side Spectacle

December 21st, 2021

After spending the majority of the year focused on the other pillars of the Fear of God House, Jerry Lorenzo gave the world a first-look at Fear of God x adidas product in late December 2021.

The LA-resident was photographed sitting court-side during a game between the Lakers and Phoenix Suns four days before Christmas. The hooded sweatshirt resembled garments offered via Lorenzo’s Essentials line, but featured co-branding on the chest. The two-tone top wasn’t accompanied by any co-branded footwear, but left fans eager to see more from the partnership a year after its announcement.

Live from Shanghai

January 15th, 2022

A month after the court-side premiere, Lorenzo set up an immersive experience at Shanghai’s Innersect. Between January 15th and 23rd, 2022, Far East Asian consumers – a segment of the market Lorenzo would like to speak to more – could enjoy a space curated by the Fear of God Athletics director. The showing displayed the sweatshirt Lorenzo had previously wore, alongside matching sweatpants. Due to an overwhelming amount of inquiries on social media, Lorenzo ultimately clarified that the two-tone set was not officially part of the impending Fear of God Athletics collection; instead, the sweatsuit was merch for lucky attendees and a way to unveil the partnership’s collective trademark.

The simple product offerings brought adidas heritage to the forefront as the font used for the trademark referenced a logo used by the Three Stripes from 1950 to 1971.

Lorenzo shared that the inaugural Fear of God Athletics collection would debut “later this year.”

From Germany, with Love

March 15th, 2022

Lorenzo and his team traveled to Herzogenaurach, Germany to visit adidas’ Global HQ for the first time in late March 2022.

During his visit, the then-44-year-old “locked [himself] in the @adidas archive for a few hours,” as shared on Instagram. Lorenzo emerged inspired, up-to-speed on adidas’ performance innovation, and seemingly showed fellow teammate David Beckham a preview of Fear of God Athletics Fall/Winter 2022 collection.

Comfort Above All

April to August 2022

While out in Italy working on Fear of God’s eighth collection, Lorenzo decided to take a break from rocking the luxury label’s The California model.

He begins to post photos to Instagram of him wearing a white-and-black pair of the adidas Adilette slide. The pair seems identical to the one he wore in an early post regarding his affiliation with the Three Stripes. While no word is disclosed about the pair forming part of the Fear of God Athletics lineup, its color scheme is on-brand with the Fear of God House’s signature color palette.

Three months later, Lorenzo shows a closer look at the Adilette, all-but-confirming that the pair he’s been wearing is not an in-line model by adidas.

Remember the Why

December 2nd, 2022

When Jerry Lorenzo joined adidas, two things were promised: Fear of God Athletics as a standalone unit and a revamp of adidas Basketball by the Chicagoan. Signature silhouettes for the like of Damian Lillard, James Harden, and Donovan Mitchell had been buzzing on the performance space, but could benefit from an aesthetic standpoint. Fans also became excited at the idea that Lorenzo would lead the vision for a potential Anthony Edwards adidas model.

Throughout Holiday 2022, apparel and footwear from the Three Stripes’ hoops department circulated across social media. The items featured a cleaner adidas logo and heavily relied on a grey, black, and white color scheme. Netizens quickly drew comparisons between the unreleased product and Lorenzo’s Fear of God line because of its color palette and design cues. Fear of God Athletics’ official Instagram account shared a statement from Jerry with regards to the “Remember the Why” campaign and collection. In it, Lorenzo confirmed that neither he nor Fear of God was connected to adidas Basketball’s project, and that the partnership between both parties had “evolved over the past two years to a concentrated focus on the creation and development of Fear of God Athletics.”

Lorenzo and team would still focus on performance models, but would only do so within the confines of their own sub-unit, not the global adidas Basketball business. Rumblings behind-the-scenes, however, suggested that Jerry did have a pivotal role in the development of the “Chapter 01: Remember the Why” lineup, but that creative disagreements led him to step back from the project.

The Three Stripes went on to unveil the full lineup during the 2022-23 NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, categorizing its offerings by “Past,” “Present,” and “Future.” Lorenzo and company, however, were not present during the affair.

An Evening with Fear of God

March 22nd, 2023

On March 22nd, 2023, Lorenzo announced a special event at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. Little was shared about the occasion prior to its April 19th date, but insiders speculated that the event would showcase the debut Fear of God Athletics collection along with pieces from the main line’s eighth collection.

First-Look At Sample

March 24th, 2023

Following the announcement of a special evening with the brand at the Hollywood Bowl, photos of a co-branded Fear of God x adidas sneaker made rounds across the internet. The mid-top pair featured a similar color palette to Lorenzo’s Nike Air Fear of God 1, but favored a much sleeker design. The boot-like silhouette had a lockdown strap across the mid-foot and sat atop a semi-translucent sole unit reminiscent of popular Yeezys. A minimalist, but eye-catching 3-Stripes logo appeared on the toe box, resembling the neck tattoo Lorenzo got in 2020.

“This is not the basketball sneaker from Fear of God and adidas,” said Lorenzo to Complex following the leak. According to Matthew J. Welty, Lorenzo also shared the following (albeit not verbatim): “These shoes are not coming out. If this is what I spent all this years creating with adidas, and this is what I’m going to release, then you guys should just cancel me.”

What Jerry Lorenzo did confirm, however, was that his new line’s first range of offerings would be unveiled on April 19th.

On the Runway

April 19th, 2023

Handfuls of Fear of God Athletics footwear options appeared on the runway during the Hollywood Bowl event.

Pusha T, another adidas collaborator, helped unveil Lorenzo’s first full collection with the Three Stripes. The Virginia-native wore a mid-top silhouette that also enjoyed a resemblance to his teammate’s work with the Swoosh. Dubbed the “One Model,” the sneaker seemingly features a Primeknit upper coupled with fuse and plastic overlays. Lightstrike foam cushions the pair, aligning itself with other offerings from the adidas Basketball lineup.

According to Fear of God Athletics’ Instagram account, the One Model is one of three performance basketball sneakers to launch from Lorenzo’s camp. The pairs worn on April 19th were “one sample away from [being] final.” The lockdown and lacing would be enhanced to deliver high-level performance by the Fall/Holiday 2023 season.

“An Evening with Fear of God” also previewed “the ’86,” a reimagined take from the adidas Originals catalog offering in High and Low trims; more co-branded apparel; and confirmed the “athleticette” – the pair of slides Lorenzo was pictured wearing throughout 2022.

A Summer of Leaks

April to August 2023

Following the sanctioned showing of Fear of God Athletics product, notorious but reliable leakers shared more looks at never-before-seen footwear from Lorenzo and company. The designer and his wife also added fuel to the fire by being out-and-about while wearing unreleased product. Desiree Manuel, Jerry’s wife, provided an on-foot look at the ’86 model’s low-top-variant. Inspired by the adidas Rivalry, a basketball shoe that debuted in 1986, the silhouette boasts a familiar arrangement throughout the upper, albeit with a premium seamless finish. Furthermore, the lifestyle offering from Fear of God Athletics enjoys an exaggerated sole unit that surely intended to call back to Lorenzo’s previous work with both the Swoosh and Vans, as well as other pillars from the FOG family.

The extended midsole is accented with vintage “adidas” text on the lateral rearfoot and a black “Fear of God” bar on the heel. A pair with a black-colored nubuck was also shared by leakers, but Jerry Lorenzo took to social media to debunk the pair, sharing that it was simply a sample.

On May 31st, Lorenzo threw the first-pitch as the White Sox faced the Los Angeles Angels while wearing the One Model. Weeks later, the head of Fear of God Athletics traversed Parisian streets donning what he dubbed as the “Three Model.”

Netizens quickly drew comparisons between the unreleased Fear of God x adidas product and the original Yeezy Boot 750, a sneaker Lorenzo helped develop. The Three Model by Fear of God Athletics resembled an elevated and refined version of the mid-top sample that leaked in March.

Another model was better-introduced to the world by insiders in Asia in late August. The pair features similar design cues to the Fear of God Athletics ’86 Low, but takes after a vintage running sneaker. The sole unit underfoot seemingly uses Lightstrike foam, which is also found throughout the award-winning adidas Adizero line, but could be assisted with Boost-cushioning, a solution found on the Y-3 PURE BOOST ZG Knit Lorenzo consistently wore before signing to Nike in 2017.

The unnamed silhouette – which also takes on an understated color palette – was ultimately confirmed in the lookbook for Essentials’ Fall 2023 collection.

Fourth Quarter

September 17th, 2023

Fear of God Athletics-specific marketing began to appear in real life and across the digital space in September. Ads for the adidas-backed unit featured “Coming this holiday” messaging, providing eager fans with a better idea of when they’d finally get their hands on product.

Essentials’ lookbook for autumn captured several previously-seen styles from the monumental partnership. No new silhouette was introduced via campaign photography, but some new color schemes were shown on-foot, painting a fuller image of what Lorenzo and team had prepped for their debut collection.

The Current Lineup

November 3rd, 2023

The full scope of Lorenzo’s adidas-backed label has yet to be seen, but the partnership has promised to elevate both the performance and lifestyle sides of basketball. Thus far, marketing material for Fear of God Athletics has focused on the latter. Lorenzo and the Three Stripes may be plotting for someone in the NBA to don one of their sneakers on the hardwood, but that remains to be seen.

Here are all the Fear of God Athletics shoes that’ve been teased, confirmed, and leaked so far:

The One Model

 

The ’86 High

 

The ’86 Lo

 

athleticette

 

Athletics Runner

 

adidas Basketball

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