Indiana University Cancel adidas Fear of God Athletics Uniform Takeover
Published
Fear of God Athletics first began sponsoring select NCAA programs tied to their partner, adidas, last year when the University of Miami and Indiana University were given special colorways of the adidas Fear of God Athletics Basketball I and custom uniforms designed by Fear of God Athletics. A year has passed since this, and FOG has begun to roll out its latest NCAA designs, including shoes and clothes for the Kansas Jayhawks. However, according to Dalton James of the Indiana Daily Student, Indiana has chosen not to wear its Fear of God-designed uniforms.
According to a now-deleted X post by Ian Plaskoff, the reasoning behind the canceled takeover game is due to the recent actions of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who has a deep connection to Jerry Lorenzo in his journey across the fashion industry. Ye has been going on a racial, antisemitic, and, in general, hate-fueled rampage on his X account, spewing words that should not be repeated or praised in any way whatsoever. Jerry Lorenzo, who has closely associated with Ye over the last decade-plus, including helping him design the adidas Yeezy Boost 750, has remained silent over Ye’s actions over the previous few years.
Although he hasn’t addressed the antisemitic comments, Lorenzo has spoken publicly about Ye in the last few years. In an Instagram post in 2024, he referenced his past with Ye alongside several designers who were once within the Yeezy circle, like Virgil Abloh. However, the post was not explicitly dedicated to Ye.
Jerry also commented why he left Yeezy and went with Fear of God, stating to Complex that “God gave me a vision to start Fear of God. He didn’t give me a vision to build someone else’s empire. God gave him a vision to build his own empire.” Ye also called out Lorenzo at the start of the new year when he said Jerry was “corny and disloyal for doing work with adidas after the way they handled things.”
The university made a statement regarding the decision: "Indiana men’s and women’s basketball programs will not be wearing the Fear of God uniform design in any upcoming games. IU will continue to proudly wear Adidas apparel, including our traditional basketball uniforms.” Last year, after the school wore its FOG Athletic uniforms, fans online and even the coaching staff made comments about how they disliked the design, so this decision may be more fashion-oriented than making a political or social statement.
Download the Sole Retriever mobile app for more updates on the latest happenings in the sneaker and streetwear world.
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
