Essentials 1997 Sweatpant – Dark Gray

The Essentials 1997 Sweatpant takes its name from a specific silhouette reference — the tapered, athletic-adjacent cut that characterized late 90s sportswear before the jogger silhouette took over in the 2010s. Fear of God Essentials revived this cut with modern construction: the heavyweight French terry that the brand built its reputation on, the encased elastic waistband with elongated drawstrings that sit flush rather than bunching, and the rubberized 1977 logo on the leg — a constant in the Essentials catalog referencing Jerry Lorenzo’s birth year.

The dark gray colorway is the most functional in the 1997 lineup. It sits between true black and mid-heather gray — dark enough to wear with any colour above it, light enough to photograph distinctly rather than reading as black. It pairs naturally with the beige and cream Essentials hoodies for a warm-over-cool neutral contrast, and with the black Essentials hoodie for a full-dark tonal look.