Winter 2023 Is ESSENTIALS' Most Sophisticated (& Least Branded) Collection Ever
Fear of God ESSENTIALS has evolved over the past five years (!) of its existence into arguably the single most visible representation of the Fear of God brand. ESSENTIALS' Winter 2023 collection seems purpose-driven to subvert that visibility, at least in terms of the branding.
ESSENTIALS' bread and butter products are its logo-laden hoodies and sweaters, realized in sandy hues and printed or knitted with larger than life "FEAR OF GOD ESSENTIALS" branding (sometimes just "ESSENTIALS). These things are so popular that they've taken on a life of their own beyond FOG.
"You create something with intention for it to have uncapped potential and ESSENTIALS is experiencing more of that potential sooner than maybe even our mainline. I'm happy with where it's going," Fear of God founder Jerry Lorenzo recently told Highsnobiety. "It's like having kids. At some point, your kid is going to be like, 'No, no, dad. I want to do this,' and then you got to listen. ESSENTIALS, sometimes he don't want listen, so he just keep running out the house."
Indeed, it's very possible that many of the people who covet and wear ESSENTIALS athleisure aren't even aware that FOG, as a company, is more than just ESSENTIALS.
ESSENTIALS Winter 2023 appears to be designed with the intent to correct that possible slight, stripping the most obvious branding away from most of the garments, save some that are relatively adventurous stylewise.
Seeking that big "FEAR OF GOD ESSENTIALS" logo? Its rubberized rendering graces a deep-V football shirt and a shin-length T-shirt dress (there are some conventional long-sleeved tees). Otherwise, make due with ESSENTIALS' rectangular rubber "bumper" logo, which has slowly been shifted from the rear of the garments' necks to front of several pieces.
With its tone-on-tone branding, the logo doesn't reveal much unless scrutinized close-up, thus relying on ESSENTIALS' other core tenets to reveal the brand behind the design: versatile neutral tones, relaxed silhouettes, textural knitwear cut with comfort in mind (oversized armholes, lengthened torsos).
The minimal approach to branding foretells ESSENTIALS Winter 2023's bigger tact. This collection introduces ESSENTIALS as a clothing line as urbane as (but still comparatively accessible to) Fear of God mainline and Athletics, the adidas collection that FOG only recently debuted.
Here are impressively styled (by Lorenzo himself) fleece half-zips with dropped shoulders, ribbed sweater hemmed to the waist, single-button polo pullovers, and washed-out denim layering pieces, ESSENTIALS' most expansive stab at denim to date.
Available on Fear of God's website before hitting stockists like SSENSE on December 15, ESSENTIALS' new collection is a promise. It's a pledge to fans that the line will evolve with them. The large logos that first attracted them to ESSENTIALS on will always be here but Winter 2023 reaffirms that the imprint is only going to continue minimizing its branding, emphasizing appreciably understated design instead.
Surely, a welcome change for the folks who've grown up right alongside ESSENTIALS and appreciate that its stuff is maturing as they are themselves.
