The world according to the LA streetwear icon and Mr Kanye West and Nike collaborator.

Last Wednesday night, MR PORTER held a Q&A event on the rooftop of Soho Beach House in Miami with Mr Jerry Lorenzo, founder and designer of Fear of God, one of the most hyped brands in the world.

It was a wide-ranging conversation that touched on how Mr Lorenzo got started, the lessons he has learned as an entrepreneur and the power of social media to launch a brand. And, although he is careful not to over-play his connections to the famous and influential, he was gracious enough to answer several questions about the importance of Mr Kanye West’s endorsement.

Here are some edited highlights from his answers. Read more about Fear of God here.

“I’ve done it my way, which was kind of out of ignorance. I didn’t care about seasons and I didn’t care about fashion shows or anything like that. I just cared about my point of view and what I was trying to propose, and I knew that if I could show this to my customer that it would work. Living with social media and Instagram, we have the power to speak directly to our audience. And I’ve never felt like I needed a fashion show to do that.

“Through Fear of God, we’ve successfully been able to define an aesthetic, which I think is probably one of the hardest things to do. We do that through styling. We do that through proportion. We do that through the mash-up of basketball shorts and a flannel…”

“When I’m making things, whether it’s a cut-off flannel or a vintage pair of jeans that speaks to both hip-hop and Kurt Cobain at the same time, I know that some of these influential people are going to want to wear what I’m making. And if they don’t want to wear it, I’m surprised. I’m just as much of a part of the culture that those influencers are in. We’re making clothes with a different level of connection to culture than fashion houses can make, because we direct and live within this culture that fashion is trying to reach.”

“I’ve got a few followers on Instagram [about 2.4m followers across @jerrylorenzo, @fearofgod and @essentials, his new entry-level line], and I look at that as a weight that I have to carry, and I think, ‘What am I showing the people that are following me?’

“There’s something corny about being in fashion if it’s not founded in something real. So, I needed to have a foundation for my brand that was beyond cool clothes. That’s where the God element came in. I was trying to build this brand that was spotless and represented God-like characteristics. As the brand began to take off, I realised that it wasn’t so much about the brand, but it was about me personally and how I live my life.”

“Five years ago, I wouldn’t have given myself the credit of having a strong enough perspective to be in a room with him. But it was Kanye that said, ‘I like that long T-shirt. Can you show me your whole collection? I like your perspective. Can you come with me and work on my A.P.C. collab? Can you come with me and design my tour merch? Can you come ...,’ and do all the things that we did together.

“Whatever it is that makes you who you are, I think it’s important that you put that into whatever it is you’re making.

“Keep your circle really small. Not everyone is going to share the same dream, not everyone is going to believe in your ability. It’s just really important to keep the people around you, whether they’re your employees or whether they’re your business partners or your family or friends, who support you, because it’s really easy to start listening to advice that can steer you the wrong way.”

“My lifestyle really hasn’t changed. We live in the same house, and my wife drives a mini-van. I’ve got to a place where I’m just really happy with the little things in my life. It sounds corny, but I really am. I’m just happy to come home and see my kids. I’m happy to go to Little League Baseball on the weekends. Maybe I could afford to do some more things or maybe I could afford to have a bigger house, but my desire to grow my business far supersedes the desire to live a little bit differently. I have no investors. It is all my money that runs this thing, so I’m not going to get a yacht and kick it in Miami.”

“Up until this point, every single garment has been made in Downtown LA. I’ve designed every piece. I don’t have a design team. I feel like I’ve reached my limits in what I can produce and make Downtown. So we’re going to partner with probably a larger house coming soon, and I’ll be able to tell a better story, which I’m excited about. This is another reason you guys haven’t seen another collection. We’ve been doing some housekeeping and trying to bring in the right partners.

“Also, we’re working with Nike and we’ve got a bunch of shoes coming out in fall, back to school, around September.”

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