Fear of God’s Latest Collection Is an Elegant Ode to the Civil Rights Movement

When I think of Fear of God, the first thing that comes to mind is a white hoodie with a huge print on the back that I bought on the Pacsun website exactly eight years ago. It was from the Los Angeles label’s budget Essentials line, and between the price of the garment and customs duties, the hoodie cost me just over $100. A small sum, really, considering the status of Jerry Lorenzo's brand in the reigning “hype culture” of the mid-2010s.

Today, a lot has changed: that hype-driven culture has shifted, the author of this article has swapped cities and a few jobs, and above all, Fear of God and its place in global fashion have evolved dramatically. That much is clear the moment I enter the building the brand has chosen to present its latest collection: a soaring deconsecrated church on the outskirts of Milan, so grand and peaceful that it feels like a film set. Jerry Lorenzo is waiting for me, dressed in a long gray coat over a hoodie and sweatpants that fall softly over his shoes. He remains the best possible model for the brand he created in 2013.

“The idea of the collection is in continuity with what Fear of God has always been about: the balance between being comfortable and relaxed and being elegant and sophisticated,” the designer explains to me as he walks me through the collection’s looks, which hang on three boards near the space’s entrance. “I've been working introspectively, looking inward and deep. Obviously, living in these times, surrounded by conflict, makes you want to speak directly. The deeper I delved into the theme of this collection, the more I realized that dressing at that time was not about self-promotion, but about self-preservation.”

The time period he’s referring to is the 1960s, which inspired this latest line, which Lorenzo has entitled “A Civil Collection.” "Back then, you could start your day wearing overalls to work, then change into a shirt, tie, and blazer to go to a protest,” Lorenzo says. “When you're fighting for your humanity and your right to exist, the way you dress has a different weight. That kind of elegance is sort of the foundation of this collection, and it's inspired by icons like John Lewis, Martin Luther King, and Rosa Parks.”

Given the civil rights movement inspiration, Lorenzo decided to frame some of the collection images like mug shots. "We're talking about people who went to jail for getting on the wrong bus. But if you look at these photos, they have not lost an ounce of dignity. Fighting for what you believe in is the true form of elegance," he says.

The collection is the next stage in Fear of God’s new direction, which was revealed last April at the brand’s first-ever fashion show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. On that occasion, the designer had presented an elegant and sophisticated vision of soft, modern lines and generous fits. One of the looks that caught my eye was a black leather coat paired with a denim shirt and turtleneck. "It’s inspired by the classic Black Panther look," he tells me.

Tailoring continues to grow in importance in the Fear of God universe, with sharp-shouldered coats and double-breasted suits coexisting beautifully with hoodies and sweatpants in the collection. "The older I get, the more interested I am in tailoring. I love the effect of a nice coat, what it can say," Lorenzo says. "When I was younger, I happened to see an old Armani commercial where they talked about the ‘American fit.’ My inspiration came from that period, from American fashion in the late 1980s and early 1990s, so I would say it made perfect sense.”

In fact, some looks resemble the louche and flowy ensembles worn by Richard Gere in American Gigolo, the Paul Schrader film whose Giorgio Armani costumes helped launch the Italian designer's career in the United States. "Those outfits are quite close to the silhouettes in this collection compared to those we did in the past," Lorenzo tells me, nodding to some of the brand’s latest trousers, cut wider through the leg with higher waists and deep pleats.

While minimalism dominates the collection, a small handful of pieces have prints on the front. “They come from some old posters that were used in protests,” he explains, pointing to the words "Revolution!" printed on the legs of a pair of jeans with a ripped knee. “Some are exact replicas, and in other cases we used the same font. This one, on the other hand, is a reference to Fisk University, where in the 1920s Black students protested for equal rights and then won them. I also like it because of the double meaning the print can have,” Lorenzo says with a smile, referring to the “FU” print on the hoodie.

The former church where we’re chatting is spectacular, to be sure, but it’s still a shame that “A Civil Collection” will never get a chance to be presented on the runway. The collection offers up a vision of a complete Fear of God wardrobe, one capable of going from the most elegant nights out to the most casual days off, giving everyone the chance to find their own place in Jerry Lorenzo’s world. "We'll do [another show] when we're sure we've got something that's missing from the market," the designer tells me. Based on the strength of his latest showing, he already has exactly that.

This story originally appeared on GQ Italy.