Matt Varga It’s been hard to catch much recent coverage of the adidas x Fear of God partnership without some mention of the partners’ contractual future, a matter of public and insider speculation essentially since the relationship got off to its belated start. Now, we can put the speculation to an end. In an interview with Aria Hughes as a part of Complex’s PLEASE EXPLAIN series, the Fear of God founder confirmed that the end of Fear of God Athletics under adidas is imminent.
To quote the man directly, in response to Hughes asking about the current state of Lorenzo’s relationship with adidas, he responded:
“As of today, I am still under contract with adidas. We have about two months left. The partnership ends at the end of December and we’ve agreed not to renew [on] both sides… I feel as if we’ve done what we were called to do for adidas and have given them a perspective and a vision to run with… I feel like, for myself and my team, that we learned a lot. Grateful for those lessons.”
Later in the answer, he added his personal perspective on where he and the brand may have been misaligned over the course of their relationship.
“The reality is… adidas is set to different standards and measures of performance. What they’re trying to do is different than what Fear of God is. Fear of God will wait 10 years to make sure that this is what it needs to be. They don’t have the luxury to do that, right?”
While the confirmation is notable in and of itself, again, it was visible that the partnership was troubled essentially from step one, beginning with the long incubation process from the announcement of Lorenzo’s switch to the Three Stripes to the first actual product that followed.
Asked candidly, “Do you like what you made for adidas?” Lorenzo expressed retrospective appreciation for the Basketball I, the Los Angeles Runner, and The ’86 Low, the latter of which he described as an “Air Force 1 killer.” In delving further into the Fear of God Athletics II, Lorenzo revealed that in his role as Global Head of adidas Basketball, he attempted to court Prada and other high-fashion houses for a step onto the hardwood. The Athletics II was made with that goal in mind, partially modeled after the Prada America’s Cup, but that project never fully came to fruition.
Finally, devoted readers may wonder what will come of the adidas Fear of God Athletics Basketball 3, recently revealed at a launch event for the partners’ Derrick Rose collaboration. Though the contract will expire at the end of 2025, that shoe will see a public release in 2026, though concrete details on that are opaque for the moment.
You can catch the full interview HERE.
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- Jerry Lorenzo x adidas Fear Of God Athletics 3 Oscar Castillo
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- Jerry Lorenzo x adidas Fear Of God Athletics 3 Jerry Lorenzo
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- Jerry Lorenzo x adidas Fear Of God Athletics 3 Jerry Lorenzo
