How did we get here? | FEAR OF GOD ADIDAS ATHLETICS Discussion

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Instagram: @kevin.img
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I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE MUSIC USED IN THIS VIDEO.
ALL RIGHTS, ETC GOES TO THE ORIGINAL CREATORS. PLEASE DON'T SUE ME. I'M A POOR COLLEGE STUDENT #SOS

[@andyfuuu]

great great vid! Kevin releasing bangers only! Totally agree that the value proposition rlly was a bit non-sensical and that he's already hyping the second drop despite the first one just releasing.

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Thanks for checking the vid out! Yeah I think that already gives you a bad feeling if they are hyping up the next drop rather than supporting the current first drop.

[@snkrgazer1860]

Excellent content. Thanks!

[@snkrgazer1860]

Btw, the overall cuts, colors and looks of the apparel just don’t make it. It’s like they don’t justify themselves and rely on JL’s fame only. Even if they were affordable, it’s hard not to see them like an adidas version of Essentials stuff and that’s different than if they had applied Jerry’s DNA and vision on specific performance clothing (which was the strongest thing about his Nike era).

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Thanks for checking out the video! Yeah I agree that learning more towards that athletic wear and functional side would have provided a more compelling argument for people to purchase the collection!

[@Seatwurtle]

I am digging the overall designs, but there is a lot of “Essentials” DNA in them, especially with the hoodie and T-shirt’s. With the pricing being closer to mainline, I’m not sure if it’s a cop for me. Really cool topic though!

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Thanks for checking out the vid! Yeah I agree that the apparel leans very close to the essentials POV. I am pretty hopeful for the future, but this current release leaves a lot to be desired.

[@artstudent13]

Excellent outlook I think Jerry said they should cost a thousand not a hundred 😅

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Yes! I made an annotation on the video during that part it was a slip! haha

[@andrescasillas4624]

Interesting video. Btw what size are you wearing in this yeezy x gap zip hoodie?

[@FashionForwardAlways]

I was wearing a large! I also have a medium, but since the hoodie is a bit cropped, I think it gives it a different vibe.

[@youngswoops]

I agree it seems rushed. Adidas felt it needed to stop the bleeding after canceling ye. Yeezy transcended y-3 and others and fear of god can’t replace that. I’m looking forward to the next model even though I brought the one model. But as you said I don’t feel confident about he one model since it’s on its way.

[@youngswoops]

Also I brought a lot the basketball clothing they came out with back Sept. and it’s nice, I’m trying to get all of while it’s still in stock and on sale. But if it’s to be like y-3 most clothing and shoes can be had on sale at the end of the season. And for collectors and hypebeast there no real value in that. For example the sweat pants went from $90 down to $63. In reality it should have been $63 to start. I always get my y-3 stuff on sale and if that the case I’ll just wait until fear of gods hits the racks.

[@FashionForwardAlways]

I honestly am torn about what I wanted Adidas to do with Athletics as I think 3 years is a bit long for the public to wait, but I also think that this release was a bit half-baked feeling. Yeezy really did transcend Y-3 and even Adidas Originals in my honest opinion in terms of new models. I did see a few pictures of a moccasin hightop, but it looks like it's a suede sneaker so I really doubt that it will be the performance model he was talking about.

[@FashionForwardAlways]

I agree. I think the Fear of god Athletics stuff will probably need to hit sale in order to get the public on-board with the idea since the barrier of entry for the apparel is a bit steep for most to wrestle with. Y-3 apparel is actually quite nice and I think people really do sleep on their stuff. Beautiful stuff on sale.

[@Travelkicks36]

I don’t really fault Jerry as much as I fault adidas. They rushed making the announcement about them working together to garner hype towards the brand. Let’s be honest, not many people were flocking towards Y-3, Stella or many of their other models, people have purchased adidas in the last 5 years mostly for Yeezys, just keeping honest! When Nike let wind of their FOG collab, Jerry had already been working with them for almost two years. I’m honestly not upset with the pricing, because just as you’ve stated about other colllabs, these are an upgrade from regular adidas sporting goods, the stitch work and product contains less flaws than both essentials and standard adidas and have quite a bit more attention to detail. As with the collab with Nike, the materials are almost the same and the level of manufacturing is the same, and in some cases this adidas collab is cheaper in price than the Nike collab so again the price doesn’t bother me. I think people really like the products, but people are down in this economy and are upset that they can’t splurge on the same level of product that Nike produced a few years back with their FOG collab. I’m anticipating the next drop, I picked up quite a few pieces from this one and if the next drop is just as good I’ll drop another 2k on it. We as a society rarely get compensated properly for the amount of work that we put in on a daily basis and most of our lives, so I’m not mad at Jerry speaking on what he feels his work means to him and still willing to adjust to help out most consumers. We may not agree and don’t have to agree but he has the right to charge what he feels it’s worth, and if you disagree don’t buy it, but same time no need to throw shots for someone asking for what they feel their work is worth to them!

[@FashionForwardAlways]

I think it is a bit of 50/50 in terms of who might be at "fault" as I think Adidas did 100% jump the gun on the announcement in 2020, which I think was done in order to prop up the brand during the pandemic era times. I agree with you that most people who have purchased adidas were purchasing yeezys or even sambas (recently). I felt like this release didn't feel as quality I would have hoped and I'm comparing the athletics brand to others in the space, such as reigning champs, Los Angeles apparel, etc. Jerry does have a great eye for styling and details, but again I felt like this fell short of where I expected the brand to be when it officially releases. In a macro-perspective, I think the limited consumer spending capacity does have to do with why the collection isn't flying off of shelves, but sold out products doesn't necessarily mean that the items are good vice versa. I am not throwing shots at Jerry or Athletics. Critic and analysis of the collection actually should looked at as me taking the time to really understand the details/process of it.

[@Travelkicks36]

Oh the throwing shots wasn’t directed towards you, but there have been people being totally critical. And II totally agree with you sold out doesn’t mean great quality and I honestly didn’t care for quite a few pieces in the collection, the 3/4 shirt fit example looked horrible with the cuffed but yet no elasticity, looks terrible, but there were pieces that I really liked so I got them, high or not I did and the pieces I didn’t like, they still sitting lol. But you do bring up valid concerns and totally respect your opinion, well said!

[@FashionForwardAlways]

I gotcha! Apologies for assuming that it was directed towards me. I think the collection was a bit of a mixed bag as I really did like some of the pants from the release as well as the duffle & coat, but I am worried about the other items since people have mixed reactions about the feeling/texture of the items (the hoodie looks super weird with the hood on haha)! Maybe we'll be able to get to try them on in-store or be able to score them for sale during spring 2024!

[@realjvega]

I remember ppl talking about fog Nike and ye’s drop when it first came out saying str8 to outlets n trash, slides sat for god knows how long….now look. The more ppl don’t want em the more I do. I like rocking kicks that many ppl aren’t wearing. All ppl do is follow hype smfh. I love the kicks copped basketball, runner and talc’s 86 lo. Happy I can get kicks without any issue

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Personally, I think the whole collection is great and I'm glad it was an easy purchase. People should learn to buy what they like! haha

[@realjvega]

@@FashionForwardAlways great videos about the fog drop btw. Got a new sub! 🤜🏽🤛🏽

[@lil-sheff]

Honestly more excited for Adidas FOG shoes than Adidas Yeezys since my taste has changed to more simpler designs. But I just wanna say that Jerry kinda whack for making the sesame colorway for the basketball shoes pop-up shop exclusive 😡

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Yeah I think Adidas FOG does cater to a different niche of people. Yeezy designs feel a bit more "organic" in nature and shape while Fog as that sleek and elevated point-of-view. The sesame color is actually stuff available on Fear of God's webpage!

[@FunnyTummyART]

great video, but why do you pronounce AH-DID-DAS (adidas)) as ODD-DID-DOS

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Honestly, I am not too sure haha. I know there are two pronunciations of adidas Ah-dee-dahs and Uh-dee-dæs. Wasn’t sure which one to use so i just threw both of them in the video

[@RetailRod]

Personally I don’t have any issue with the pricing..why cannibalize your own essentials line by making the pricing affordable? Not to mention the pricing on literally every single other designer collaboration is similar if not higher ie: Gucci, Moncler etc

[@FashionForwardAlways]

I agree with the pricing comment, but where I think the disconnect is the feeling/quality of the garments. I did mention that it is more akin to Y-3 or Stella McCarthy, which both have higher price points, which makes sense. The items feel like essentials items rather than closer to mainline.

[@RetailRod]

@@FashionForwardAlways true I want to feel the pieces in hand before I critique, I own quite a few items from Y-3 and the quality is great, especially the footwear

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Y-3 on sale is fantastic! I tried their gazelles the past few seasons and they are A1. It's also really hard to create a product that fits the middle of the gap since it's always easier to aim for super high luxury as well as budget, but hard to reach that sweet spot of quality/price.

[@ZombieStrantz]

Jerry seems like he's on another planet compared to the consumer, and he talks down to their expectations/critiques in a way that hurts the brand overall. I like the Los Angeles Runner but the rest of the collection is not for me. The silhouettes seem unrefined and bulbous overall, save a few pieces, and I think he could have really wowed everyone if the clothing had been a little more tuned.

[@FashionForwardAlways]

Jerry has always had this weird relationship with his customer base where he responds in a bit of a condescending tone (almost as if he is trying to teach or talk to a baby). He did this with his Nike releases as well as when he was doing stuff for his second collection. The silhouettes are not bad, but they weren't the high performances models that I was initially hoping for athletics. The runner as well as the 86 Lo feel like the essentials footwear line, which was made in italy for $200 (on sale).

[@skweemish]

My main question is who is this for? And why is it called athletics? There's not a sport i can think of where you wanna wear huge baggy sack-like clothes. None of it makes any sense.

[@FashionForwardAlways]

My initial assumption was that it was going to be truly high performance gear that looked great, but the products feel more like essentials with some adidas branding. I am really hoping that they will "wow" us with the second drop.

[@nixsis5281]

Recycling a bunch of Essentials and stamping a larger price tag on it is a huge L no matter how you look at it. I really had high hopes for this brand but, Jerry failed us big time. I like Jerry but, theres what he said on stage for the article, and then theres what he says in the comments. Im telling you its like 2 different people. I'll give the dude another chance to get back in touch with the community but, im not gonna hold my breath on it. I understand that its not all Jerry's fault when he works with a greedy company like Adidas. They really keep acting like they are a high end fashion company when their clearly not. The only impression people walked away with from this FOG Athletics drop was, Jerry and Adidas only care about making product for the rich.

[@FashionForwardAlways]

I actually just saw some leaks for the upcoming essentials lineup and it seems like they are reusing a lot of the same sort of styling and the cuffing details on it. I think the high hopes were justified as we waiting 3 years for this and unfortunately it just didn't hit the mark. Jerry has always had a bit of a conflicting point of view where he acts humble in some circles, but also chastises people online for their perception of the products. To be fully honest, I think both Adidas and Nike are hugely greedy in their profit margins. Adidas has tried multiple times with trying to release some designer apparel (ie: Craig Green, Yeezy Season, etc) with mixed results.

[@ROCKBETHENAME]

All this crying in the comments if you can’t afford it then get what you can afford. FOG has never been a cheap brand EVER! Yall will wear “designer” & not complain about the price but complain about FOG’s prices. Not to mention his shoe prices are the same price as any Yeezy but better quality so why the tears lol

[@FashionForwardAlways]

lol. It's not about just the prices, but the prices in relation to the product. I think everyone knows that FOG mainline isn't cheap at all (~$700 for a hoodie), but I think it's that the products don't live up to the pricing set for it ($400 for a jersey and $350 for a hoodie). Yeezys aren't cheap either and I never said that they were.

[@ROCKBETHENAME]

@@FashionForwardAlwaysthis wasn’t towards what you said in the video this was specifically the comments section. SN: many of the adidas items(IMO) are def worth the price however i don’t like the cut of some of the items especially the hoodie. But Jordans are retailing for 190 to 225 & the quality is dirt. Even New Balance are charging 200-250 for basic 990s & no one complains but this is where many people are drawing the line lol

[@FashionForwardAlways]

That's fair. I think a lot of people had misguided pricing expectation about the collection as people got used to the Essentials line rather that purchasing mainline. I think for me personally, I was fine with the pricing, but only if the performance aspect was a bit more emphasized. People will continue to spend like 250+ on some retro jordans or new balances from 20+ years ago sadly. I hope the people who were criticizing the footwear get a chance to feel the products in person as I think the footwear is the best of the collection. The LA runner is a great deal for $170 as well as the 86 Lo for $200.

[@MrMeMyselfandI]

@@FashionForwardAlways​​⁠I’ll counter what you’re saying and what the other guy was saying. My qualms with this collection aren’t solely price. I understand the BBall shoe being 250 because it’s a new mould which cost a lost to construct so they’re recouping the money. HOWEVER this collection just seems poorly orchestrated. 1) the prices in the collection as a whole don’t make sense I regard to a majority of Jerry’s fan base (people that learned about him through essentials) nor athletes - the average athlete doesn’t have the money to buy shoes and SOME of the clothes in this collection (by which I mean they might be able to get the shoes but not a full tracksuit etc.). 2) The lack of design in regard to the slides (I have the original that they’re based on - an EU exclusive slide) to charge such a premium (imo the regular Adidas ones are better quality). He’s said prices will drop with subsequent collections but I hope he listens to the critiques. I also think the adidas basketball stuff that looks similar was intentionally done so those who can’t afford FoG Athletics will look at Basketball

[@anthonytigris2049]

They’re trying to make us pay for FOG prices with adidas’s price on top of it.