Fear of God Athletics—the Jerry Lorenzo-led label’s ongoing partnership with Adidas—has been building steam in recent months. After a slow start in 2023, Lorenzo’s grand gamble started to pay off with the release of the Athletics Basketball II performance shoe late last year. The II improved on the performance qualities of its predecessor and has gotten solid playing time in the NBA, with it also getting a ton of on-court looks with the Overtime Elite Athletics (a team founded and sponsored by Fear of God).
If fans have been looking for anything from the Athletics experiment it’s something that touches the brilliance of Lorenzo’s first shoe with Nike, the Air Fear of God. That shoe blended the brand’s design sensibilities and luxury proclivities with Nike’s sneaker tech, making for an instant smash-hit. A shoe that successfully threads that needle would look different at the Stripes than it would at the Swoosh. The Basketball II was a step in the right direction. This week, the two powerhouses reveal their best shoe to date.
First teased back in early 2023 and revealed on-foot earlier this month by Lorenzo at Paris Fashion Week the Fear of God Athletics Trainer feels like the true culmination of the Athletics brand’s work over the last few years. The mid-cut sneaker sports a design that feels right at home alongside Fear of God’s name-brand kicks, pulling from the same shapes and silhouettes common in their collections and specifically in their Moc shoes. It also incorporates a rich chocolatey suede into the upper with a nylon strap folded across the foot to match, not at all dissimilar in style to the brand’s current Moc Low Runner or Alaskan Moc.
This isn’t just a rehash, though. That strap feels as functional as it does fashionable, with the nylon providing more lockdown and stability than suede would. The sole also comes with Adidas tech, meaning comfort and support for days. Like most shoes in the Athletics line, it’s ostensibly meant to split the difference between performance and casual wear. The Trainer is meant for, well, training, though with its luxe materials and $250 price tag one could be forgiven for saving this pair for a night out rather than a heavy lifting session.
The sneaker world moves fast. It’s got a short attention span and doesn’t forgive failure easily. The Fear of God Athletics Trainer is a reward for those who have been patient as the brand figures out what Athletics is and what it looks like moving forward. If this shoe is any indication, the best is yet to come.
You can shop the shoe today via the Adidas CONFIRMED app and Fear of God’s website.
