Mark Powell, diamond geezer par excellence and Soho-based tailor to all manner of famous and
infamous men, including Ronnie Kray, Bryan Ferry and Bradley Wiggins, once told me during an
interview, “I’m the type of geezer to knock someone out and get a manicure.” I’ve always known
that men who get manicures are dangerous. At school in North East London, it was the “top boys”, those
with close connections to football firms and drug dealers who got their hair cut and nails manicured every
Friday in preparation for a weekend of sex, shopping, clubbing and fighting. Men don’t yet have many
gender-specific nail bars, but spas offer great unisex options: the 60-minute Prescription Manicure at the
Jessica Nail Studio at Corinthia Hotel London is pretty much bulletproof, even for budding Wolverines. A
product to try at home is the Nourishing Nail & Cuticle Serum from Margaret Dabbs (right, £12). It’s been said
that hands are the business cards of the body. Who in their right mind will award a contract or promotion to
someone with skanky fingernails? After all, claws are for animals – animals and drug addicts. ATGOOD NAILS are the business cards of the body (you filthy animal)The claws are out for
men of mani talentsThe great American social
commentator Fran Lebowitz
once wrote, “Love of clothing is
what I have instead of spirituality.
It is personal, transcendent and
deeply fulfilling.” Her preferred
denomination? Savile Row’s
Anderson & Sheppard.
For today’s hypebeast, the
relationship between fashion and
religion is not metaphoric but
literal. Fear Of God, the name of the
LA streetwear label that created
Kendrick Lamar’s Bruce Lee-style
tracksuit for his Damn tour, is no
play on words. The designer
and founder, Jerry Lorenzo, regu-
larly posts Bible scriptures on
Instagram and counts Jay-Z, Justin
Bieber and Kanye West as both
friends and fans of his clothes.
Speaking of the West connec-
tion, Carl Lentz, the pastor who
baptised Justin Bieber in NBA
basketballer Tyson Chandler’s
bathtub, appeared in Nike Air xIn fact, hypebeast pastors are a
thing now. In order to appeal to
the millennial flock, pastors at
American mega-churches have
ditched the suit and tie in favour
of streetwear. The Instagram
account @preachersnsneakers
shows them dripped in the
latest Louis Vuitton, Off-White,
Louboutin, Supreme and Gucci.
The hype outfits, which often cost
thousands of dollars, caused one
commenter to write, “Pass the col-Fear Of God collab sneakers. Lentz,
whose sermons attract 8,000
worshippers per week is one of
the lead pastors of Hillsong
NYC, the mega-church that
counts Selena Gomez, Justin
Bieber, the Kardashians and bas-
ketball player Kevin Durant as
members of the congregation.
Lentz can be seen in one post-
sermon interview next to Bieber
wearing a red Louis Vuitton x
Supreme hoodie.G House RulesFrom left: Kanye West’s
Coachella merch tent, 2019;
Hillsong service, 2018Sweatshirt by Kanye West x
Cactus Plant Flea Market,
£195. At grailed.comPeak 2019 is...Story by Alfred TongGOD MERCH!lection plate. Daddy needs a new
pair of shoes.”
Which brings us finally to Kanye
West and his Sunday Service show
at Coachella. A rapper so openly
celebrating his religion may have
seemed odd to us here in Europe,
but when seen in the context of
the hypebeast pastor scene of the
US, it makes perfect sense. What’s
the deal with that peculiar shade
of purple of the oversized T-shirts
and sweatpants he and the gospel
choir were wearing? Purple is the
colour of Lent.
As hypebeast pastors have
shown, religion is big business in
America. In April, Pharrell per-
formed at the Something In The
Water festival alongside Jay-Z and
Diddy in a Sunday Service
sweatshirt with “Holy Spirit”
emblazoned across the front. The
religious merch was also available
to buy at Coachella. It’s official:
hype is now God’s work.09-19HRGodMerch.indd 107 11/07/2019 13:14
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