Fear of God and adidas Announce Long-Term Partnership

In an unexpected bit of pre-holiday news, Fear of God and adidas have announced a long-term partnership. This partnership will be centered around two main pillars: FoG founder Jerry Lorenzo driving global creative and business strategy for adidas Basketball, and a creation of a new Fear of God Athletics sub-label to accompany the brand’s seasonal Essentials collections and mainline offerings.

Adding Lorenzo’s street-meets-luxury-meets-sport design ethos to a basketball label that boasts global superstars like James Harden, Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell is a step in a bold new direction for adidas and FoG alike. “This is a fearless move where shared vision and conviction are at the heart of the accretion of two brands shaping sports and culture, with the purpose to truly multiply our nuanced strengths to revolutionize the performance basketball industry forever,” said Jerry Lorenzo while discussing the partnership. “adidas and Fear of God share the same dream for the future of basketball, on and beyond the court, and we look forward to changing the face of the industry through a new model that will unfold before us in the coming years.”

Though Fear of God Athletics’ forthcoming product has yet to be revealed, it’s set to be centered around performance basketball and activewear products, contrasting with Essentials’ cozy staples and the FoG Mainline’s modernized takes on suiting and workwear. It’s quite possible that collaborative products with the athletes mentioned above will appear as well. Of course, this announcement marks the end of Lorenzo’s time working with Nike — a relationship that began in 2018 and was most known for footwear silhouettes like the Air Fear of God 1.

“The global impact that Jerry Lorenzo and Fear of God has had on culture and the industry is undeniable,” says adidas executive Brian Grevy. “Jerry is a creative visionary and embodies a true expression of the entrepreneurial spirit today. His authentic connection to sport, deep understanding of the footwear industry and past, and ability to reinterpret heritage and visualize the future excites us. We look forward to working with him to inspire the next generation of basketball creatives, athletes and communities.”

Expect the partnership’s products to begin rolling out in 2021, and for more footwear news check out the latest installment of HYPEBEAST’s weekly Best Footwear Drops list.