The importance of "1987", latest Fear of God collection

Last week we showed you the entire “1987” Fear of God collection, ready to be launched on Sunday at the Back Door Bottega in Bologna. As many magazines wrote, the choice was everything but unusual, being Bologna one of the Italian Basketball Mecca, and place of the strongest Italian rivalry: Fortitudo vs Virtus.

The hit of the event was assured, thanks to the enormous credits Jerry Lorenzo was able to gain over the years, being able to valorize innovative and never banal collections. The photographic reportage, realized by Henry Ruggeri – a rock concert photographer that Lorenzo learned to love until to made him a kind of personal guru – give us the true essence of the exhibition, showing all the side of Lorenzo (the creative and the human ones) that made Fear of God what is now.

But the collection, besides being the last demonstration of the capability of Lorenzo, could tell us something more about a trend that during the last years seems to be decreasing in importance: the basketwear.
Starting from the beginning: as we said last week, “1987” is a collection inspired by the eternal rivalry between Lakers and Celtics, told by Lorenzo’s eyes, and then of an LA born who was in love with the Celtics aesthetics. The collection, provocative by its own nature, mixes the elements of the two franchises, also being inspired by a famous t-shirt made by the Celtics fans during the 80s with the slogan “I Hate LA”, that Lorenzo inverted in a “I Love LA” statements. The sneakers are a remember of the Boston colors, made by Reebok or Converse in those years. Lorenzo showed a real knowledge of basketball apparel, matured during the years as image man of different sports entities, and some NBA players as Dwayne Wade.

“1987” is finally a huge homage to basketball, and sportswear in general, and could also become the last attempt to save a trend that is finishing, only fueled by sneakers releases. The NBA-Mania boomed in Europe a few years ago in fact – and that contributed to the diffusion of the basketball apparel among the youngest and brands – is now over. 

Its place was taken over by football, and the NBA seems to lose that “allure” now only on Westbrook's backs. After imposing itself as one of the most appreciated brands among the players, Fear of God has now the duty to put basket of European basketball map.