ESSENTIALS Legit Check: Real Vs Fake Hoodie (2025)

Last Updated on January 6, 2025 by Ch David

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to spot fake “ESSENTIALS” Fear of God hoodies. All models and colorways can be checked here.

Relevant: Read the Essentials T-Shirt guide.

How to know if ESSENTIALS is real

The answer is: The wash tags instantly tell if your ESSENTIALS is real or not. Thin text means that your item’s fake.

1. Wash tag front side

• The fake wash tag’s text uses a completely different font.
• The text is too thick in some places (e.g. “OV” in the word OVER”).
• But also too thin in other places (e.g. the entire word “CARE”).
• Every inscription on the fake Essentials hoodie’s wash tag has characters at different font weights.

All the inscriptions on the real Essentials hoodie are thicker and more defined when compared to the fake Essentials hoodie’s thinner text.

Conclusion Here: Authentic hoodies must have the same thickness for all characters.

Expert Verdict - Let our team look at your FOG clothes:

2. Wash tag rear side

Flip your wash tag upside down in order to reach this part.

2.1. Best-quality replica

As you can see from the image with the authentic vs replica Fear Of God Essentials hoodies above:

• The fake hoodie once again has its text at the wrong thickness.
• All of the fake inscriptions look way thinner than the exact text on the authentic wash tag.

2.2. Lower-quality replica

• The fake wash tag has its text at multiple font weights.
• By that, we mean that the fake hoodie has its first words on each line looking a bit thicker on some sides, and they also have the rest of the words to the end of the lines looking too thin.

See how the tex on the real ESSENTIALS hoodie has the same thickness for all characters. This applies all over the wash tag, not just in some sections.

Little details like these really matter.

3. Neck tag

• The fake Essentials hoodie has its letters at the wrong thickness.
• The replica hoodie has its “ESSENTIALS” text looking way too thick.
• The fake FOG Essentials hoodie has its text too boxy, while the original Essentials hoodie’s text is bigger and wider.
• The “FEAR OF GOD” text looks smaller and boxier than the real Essentials hoodie’s text, which is bigger and “more aired” compared to the fake hoodie’s text.

4. Hood rubber badge

• The fake hoodie has its text and stitching badly detailed.
• See how the fake hoodie has its very thin text, and how the original “ESSENTIALS” text is thicker.
• The fake stitches are coming out of the patch where they are supposed to fit deep inside of.

On the other hand, the authentic Fear Of God Essentials hoodie has its stitching fit deep inside the patch, as no threads come out of the patch, unlike the fake item’s stitches.

5. Extra label

• The fake item’s text is yet again badly font-weighted.
• The “ESSENTIALS” text is too thick, and the authentic tag’s text is thinner.
• The flaw applies to the fake tag’s “FEAR OF GOD” text, which is also thicker than the real print.

6. Front print

The fake FOG hoodie’s “ESSENTIALS” text is too thick.

Looking at the authentic FOG Essentials hoodie’s “ESSENTIALS” text, you can see how the same text is thinner than the one on the fake piece.

Is Fear of God the same as Essentials?

Shortly, Fear Of God isn’t the same as Essentials — though they’re not far away from each other. While Fear Of God had a few editions called “ESSENTIALS”, the brand Essentials is a separate entity created by the same designer who made Fear Of God, whose name is Jerry Lorenzo.

• According to Vogue’s words, Essentials is a “Competitively priced sister label”, as the brand was made in 2018. On the other hand, Fear Of God was founded in 2011.
• Ever since 2018, we’ve seen many celebrities in the streetwear industry wearing Essentials (e.g. Virgil Abloh with the Off-White brand and Kanye West with the Yeezy brand).

Shortlist: How to check for FAKES

1. Check the first wash tag of your item, as most of the fake things have their wash tag’s text too thin.
2. Examine the rear side of the wash tag, because the fake Fear Of God Essentials hoodies have their text badly font-weighted.
3. Look at the text on the neck tag of your Fear Of God hoodie, as fake hoodies usually have their text too thick or too thin.
4. Inspect the text found on the hood’s badge. Usually, the fake Fear Of God Essentials hoodies have their text too thick or too thin, and their stitching is usually coming out of the patches.
5. Brief the text on the extra label of your item, as the fake tags usually have their text too thick.
6. Authenticate the “ESSENTIALS” text on the front side of your Fear Of God Essentials hoodie. In most cases, the replica hoodies have their text too thick.

There are situations, where you may be unable to go through each detailed step, explained above when you need to authenticate your Fear Of God Essentials hoodie.

That is why we have compiled this quick 60-second solution to authenticating your FOG Essentials hoodie.

Expert Essentials legit check service

If you need help with the authentication of your Fear Of God Essentials hoodie, we’ve got you covered.

All you have to do is send us good-quality pictures of your Fear Of God Essentials hoodie item and we will get back to you with the results within 24 to 48 hours. The results will also come with a report on why we believe your hoodie is fake or authentic.

That brings us to the end of our fake vs real Fear Of God Essentials hoodie legit check guide. We will continue to update this article as better and newer comparisons are put out.

Need our opinion on your item’s authenticity? It’s a service we provide.

Get a fully-detailed report for why you have a real or fake item. Takes less than 48 hours!

Alternatively, use our free resources: written guides and video tutorials.

Thank you for reading this,

Ch Daniel and Ch David