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Jerry Lorenzo Manuel, known as Jerry Lorenzo, has cemented himself as an innovator with great attention to detail to the overlooked aspects of clothing. Jerry isn’t your “typical” designer. Having no formal education within fashion, nor even sketching designs, Jerry sees himself more as a curator. He has a distinct vision and an ability to execute his ideas. Through his obsession with the overlooked details, such as the drape, shape, and even proportions of a simple tee, Jerry has an eye and a sense for what the people want. He had an unconventional start in comparison to others in the industry, having only started his label, Fear of God, in his 30’s. Having no plans to work within fashion, Jerry was set on working inside the sports and entertainment industry, since his family comes from a sports background. In 2008, during his time managing, as well as styling LA Dodgers star Matt Kemp, Jerry found that certain pieces were missing in both Matt’s and his own closet. This realization sparked Jerry’s curiosity and led to his overall determination to create his own label, Fear of God.
What Led to Jerry’s Entrance Into the World of Fashion?
Jerry’s entrance into the realm of fashion was inevitable, but it wasn’t always so clear. Jerry had worked in retail for most of his life, even working in the stockroom of a Diesel store all the way through grad school, where he completed his MBA. Once promoted to a sales role at Diesel, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for Jerry to sell thousands of dollars worth of clothes, in a single shift. Even in his early stages, Jerry had an understanding of what people were looking for in terms of fit and aesthetic.
One thing always stayed constant, and that was Jerry’s attention to the clothes he wore. He always had a great passion for what he chose to wear and had confidence and belief that he dressed better than anyone else. Although his goal was to work within sports marketing, he soon started to realize that his passions lay elsewhere.
In 2008, Jerry was managing LA Dodgers star, Matt Kemp, while simultaneously keeping another foot in the LA nightlife scene, hosting his own “JL Nights” events. Through Jerry’s connections and network that he established within his time working in the sports industry, he began hosting his own parties. Jerry found himself in LA because of school and decided to leverage his network to curate an event that people actually wanted to go to. These events became so…
