Fear Of God's Jerry Lorenzo Talks Kanye, Kendrick, and Culture in New Interview
“The purest form of originality comes from a place of not having. That’s when you’re forced to create from a deeper place.”
The past couple of weeks have been big for Jerry Lorenzo and Fear Of God. The brand has unveiled its fifth collection and teased its latest collaboration with Vans, as well as kitting out Kendrick Lamar for his ‘DAMN.’ tour. On top of all that, Lorenzo’s brand has also announced a new stockist — UK-based online retailer Mr. Porter. To mark the new hook-up, Jerry Lorenzo sat down with Mr. Porter for a wide-ranging interview that touched on everything from his Christian faith to working with Kanye West. Read some key excerpts from the interview below, and head over to the Mr. Porter site if you want to read the whole thing.
Once you’ve read Jerry Lorenzo’s latest editorial, check out the potential collaboration with Warren Lotas that was teased earlier this week.
On growing up:
“Growing up, I experienced a juxtaposition of cultures. These things served as the foundation of my clothing line – the grunge and rock that I listened to at my white high school, the hip-hop and soul and gospel that I was exposed to on the weekends by friends at the black church.”On his background:
“I have no design background. It’s like a kid hustling mix tapes. You go downtown, you buy fabrics, you figure out the process. All you have is your idea and the resources that you have access to to realise your idea. I knew it was missing in the market. The purest form of originality comes from a place of not having. That’s when you’re forced to create from a deeper place, and that’s street.”On the brand’s name:
“When you’re at peace with God, there’s a fear of God that’s a reverence. “But on the flip side, when you don’t know God, there’s a literal fear. I wanted my brand’s name to play on these two different meanings. I wanted to do something that also left you with a greater purpose or inspired you some other way besides clothes. At some point, you have to be about something.”On Kanye West:
“Kanye is the hardest-working person I’ve ever met. Kanye is his own person, he beats his own drum. If he doesn’t understand something or if he doesn’t quite get it, he’s going to do all that he can to put all of his resources into figuring it out. I think one of the best things that I could ever take away from him is work ethic and being able to push yourself beyond barriers.”
