Fear of God is on a retail expedition, recently opening its first temporary location in Asia.
The Los Angeles label, started by Jerry Lorenzo in 2013, unveiled a store that will be open for six months inside the luxury-oriented Hyundai Trade Center in Seoul. Other stores in the center include Hermès, Gucci, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, Prada and Burberry.
“We’ve always had a special place in our hearts for [South] Korea,” Lorenzo said in a statement. “After visiting the [country] back in the winter of 2018, the people and culture felt extremely similar to the atmosphere we strive for at Fear of God: beautiful, tasteful, sophisticated, elegant yet warm, welcoming and humble.”
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The minimalist shop is housed inside a space that has a brutalist architectural style to focus on individual Fear of God pieces. It will begin with showcasing the brand’s Eternal Collection in an immersive setting.
The shop’s spare interior design complements Fear of God’s minimalist and functional design philosophy, the company said. There are neutral colors, contrasting concrete, brushed steel and suede textures.
Two sculptured concrete walls built on an angle line either side of the compact store. On each wall are niches and shelves to house various items, including footwear, clothing and accessories.
Customers can move through the gallery-like space as if they were in an art exhibition. The product display is intentionally limited for a more intimate encounter. Most of the collection is housed in a backstock area for sales staff to bring out.
“We wanted a space that would complement the collection and not overshadow our point of view on clothing. So, we needed something equally as beautiful as it is without opinion,” Lorenzo explained.
The Fear of God founder said he selected certain pieces of merchandise by leaning on his sales and merchandising team.
This is Fear of God’s first temporary store. It has had a shop-in-shop inside Selfridges in London. Other retail partners include Mr Porter, Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman.
When asked if this was a test run for future stores, Lorenzo noted: “We don’t really test run.…We just run.”