This is the first 10 Things post we're doing and we figured Jerry Lorenzo might be a good person to start with.
Basically 10 Things refers to 10 things (wild right?) that we think are pretty interesting facts about a person, brand, place etc.
So enjoy this double digit run up of some essential Lorenzo facts.
1. He is the son of former professional baseball player Jerry Manuel.
After looking at some of this dude's old photos, it's pretty apparent where Lorenzo's interest in style comes from. Not sure how he played but I know his bifocal game was all-star status.
2. He is pretty good at baseball and played in college at Loyola Marymount and even, for a brief period, in the minor leagues.
Jerry and Jerry are actually super close and the eldest of the two has passed on a lot more than baseball to his son, according to the young man himself. Lorenzo has cited his father as a huge impact on his character, ethics and morality as well. Seems to have worked out alright, pops.
I can say I am definitely stoked that the Fear of God Skylon's didn't bear cleats.
3. He is the first fashion designer to appear in the NBA2K video game series.
When his Nike collaboration dropped the marketing role out was actually pretty monumental in retrospect. They put a lot behind Lorenzo's creation and even pulled the strings necessary for it to become an official in-game item for players to purchase and wear.
NGL - I definitely thought it was Rick Owens, whole time that was just how Steve Nash looked pre-2K16.
4. This is technically the second Essentials line.
He launched a similar "diffusion" label in collaboration with PacSun in 2015 under the moniker "F.O.G." or simply the name of the parent label, Fear of God, as an acronym.
The name really summed it all up. It was like Fear of God if he didn't have the time for it. It was Fear Of God if Lorenzo took some shortcuts.
5. He is one of only three non-athletes to release an entirely new model for Nike, the Fear of God 1.
The other two are Kanye West with the Air Yeezy and Kevin Hart with the Hustle Hart. Lorenzo is the only one of these three to have the iconic 'Flight' logo flipped and that shit was fire.
Lorenzo had the best named model of the three as well. Let's be honest, Air Yeezy is a rough name in retrospect. That being said, choosing the name Hustle Hart is, to put it nicely, a brave move on Kev's part. For a comedian the irony of using a pun of that quality is maybe the most comedic part. Touche Kev...
6. He does maybe actually have a fear of God.
Lorenzo is a devout christian and has spoken openly about his faith in various interviews and media appearances.
Weirdly enough I actually didn't even consider this before I read about it. I just thought it was some fashion thing. I dig the authenticity.
7. He was the creative director for Kanye West's Yeezy clothing line during its formative years.
We're talking like pre-adidas manufacturing, Metallica logo rip Yeezy clothing. His close relationship with Kanye played a big role in his brand's extraordinary meteoric rise into mainstream fashion.
8. He's a prolific philanthropist.
In 2020 Lorenzo rolled out Fear of God Initiative for Social Change, a charitable organization under the Fear of God brand umbrella. The goal of the organization is to provide resources for organizations working to uplift marginalized communities in the United States.
9. 1977 isn't just a random number.
He was actually born in Sacramento, CA in 1977. This is the significance of the number being used so often on the clothing in his Essentials line.
I don't know man, he's got some Pharrell type thing going on because I was pretty shocked when I found out he was that old.
10. He has no formal training in fashion.
Lorenzo, unlike the majority of his industry peers, did not receive any sort of formal education in fashion. It's kind of a blurry subject but it seems as if he kind of leveraged his connection in professional sports as a way to get his brand out there which he debuted in 2012 and funded it with his own personal savings and investments from loved ones.
Personally, I had no opinion on the man before researching and writing this post but I kind of like the dude at this point. I don't know, seems like just a straight forward decent guy in a world full of people that seem pretty pompous and generally unpleasant. Still not sure where exactly he emerged from or how the brand actually got its start but I'll just hope it wasn't from something extremely nefarious that would really tarnish this whole thing he built.
Now that you got learned about it, go shop some Essentials while you can because it's pretty difficult to keep it in stock. Oh and thanks for reading.