A few days ago, young cult brand Fear of God delivered their Fourth Collection lookbook. Unlike the rest of the fashion world, Fear of God does not follow the typical two season spring/summer and autumn/winter collection release schedule that we have grown used to. Instead, each year FoG drops a single collection between October and November and names it numerically, with their first collection in 2012 being called First Collection, their second in 2013 called Second Collection, and so on. In the film released alongside the Fourth Collection lookbook, creator Jerry Lorenzo says that “This is not a streetwear brand, this is not a contemporary menswear brand, this is not a designer brand… This is God’s brand”. Because of the creative direction of the brand refusing to identify with a single aesthetic, it is hard to describe what sort of brand FoG is. In the part, the brand has been known for high quality essential pieces with unique additions, and has generally stuck to that in this season.
Fear of God’s Fourth Collection has been the most expansive yet, as well as the most different from its others. The brand brought in their first pant offering last year with a pair of harem pants. This year they followed it up with their first pair of jeans, as well as their first denim jacket, first denim topcoat, first button-down collar shirt, and perhaps biggest of all: first pair of shoes. The first ever Fear of God footwear manifests itself as a pair of bulky, black, high top sneakers, reminiscent of Rick Owens’ signature Geobasket silhouette. The lookbook itself is shot in a very loose and almost careless way. The models stood in odd positions, often with a lean or hunch. Every single one bore an emotionless expression, typical of models, but with almost the slightest hint of a smile if you looked hard enough. To understand this, I watched (and I recommend anyone interested watch it as well) the short film on Fourth Collection (currently watchable here: http://fearofgod.com/).
What it showed was first a short monologue on how Jerry Lorenzo thinks of the brand and the vision he created it around, and then for the rest of the video (hard to estimate because there is no timer showing length of the video), about ⅔ of it, is footage of the models with the song “How Great is Our God” by Bishop Paul Morton sung by a church choir in the background. What it really is though is a thesis for the Fourth Collection. The footage itself is a number of simple movements from the models: turning their heads, jumping, moving their arms, spinning a chair, all while holding the same indifferent expression holding the hint of a smile. Several shots simply consisted of the wind blowing in their hair as the camera panned closer. Some involved the models standing still and making small movements. What these all reflected on is the simple beauty and greatness of humanity, showing appreciation for small and ordinary movements that people normally fail to notice. It puts the attention on things as simple as spinning a chair or turning your head and made me feel the need to slow down and really pay attention to my smallest movements. It let me recognize seemingly pointless things I do, such as sliding my hand across a desk or looking up at the ceiling, in an inexplicable sort of way. The clothes featured support this with their simplicity.
This wasn’t the skinny rockstar-esque look of Saint Laurent, nor the dark, avant-garde look of Rick Owens. It was simple clothing, not minimalistic. The tops were oversized and featured well known and everyday materials; puffy nylon bomber jackets, rough-edged cotton flannel shirts, heavy wool overcoats. The jeans were slim-fitting, but not quite what most would call skinny, and featured ripped knees and tears along the thigh. The styling was intentionally careless, buttons were left undone, shirts and jackets were left open and billowing, sleeves were hastily rolled. Despite all this “unaesthetic” styling, I found the pieces and silhouettes very appealing after taking in and understanding the film. Jerry Lorenzo has not only succeeded in helping me to appreciate his clothing, but my own self and others around me in the most ordinary settings.
