Fear of God Athletics Isn’t the Next Jordan. But its Basketball 1 Is a Slam Dunk
Having bought two pairs now, I prefer them to every Jordan 1 released this year.
“In the run-up to the release of his Adidas collaborative line, Fear of God Athletics, founder and lead designer of Fear of God, Jerry Lorenzo, did a run of interviews with friendly media. Lorenzo — a modern American fashion savant, and son of baseball’s Jerry Manuel — is equally ambitious and immodest, so when asked how big this collaborative line would be, his answer was as big or bigger than Jordan brand.
As I wrote on the launch of Athletics, Adidas would love that to be so — particularly with the absence of their former star creative, Kanye West — but they’ll be lucky if this line escapes the clearance rack. Though Fear of God mainline is the greatest new American luxury brand, and his Mr. Lorenzo’s accessible Essentials have been hugely popular for years, the same success did not hit Athletics.”
Out now in The New York Sun: on the Fear of God Athletics Basketball 1, perhaps my favourite sneaker of last year. Give it a read!