Obama Gear

Starting with last year's election campaign, Barack Obama merchandise has been popping up everywhere around the country -- and only to a tiny extent from official sources.

Frank fam & Giant Step Resident Mawuse Ziegbe went on a hunt to learn more about the Obama merch machine, and what inspires people to design and market their own Obama gear.

You can read her fascinating findings below...

The 2008 presidential race will be forever marked as a history-making event; we saw a biracial Midwestern junior senator wrangle the Democratic nomination from the fairer half of the Clinton political machine and ride it to a historic victory. A once ideologically complex Republican senator from Arizona morphed into a doddering old coot, desperately cobbling together support from a splintered conservative base. A mother of five with a cursory knowledge of American politics accepted a vice presidential nomination and vaulted to the world stage with down-home philosophies and prom hair. And on street corners, websites and even in car trunks, people hawked political paraphernalia.

While political gear has traditionally been a way to demonstrate support, the proliferation of buttons, t-shirts, magnets and other bric-a-brac has been especially voluminous in the '08. An election characterized by both inspiring triumphs and vitriolic rhetoric has spawned an equally multifarious pop-up cottage industry, trading dreams for dollars… albeit to varying degrees of success (and legality). But people have had it bad for the charismatic Democratic winner, Barack Obama… and now, with the man in the White House, the trend shows no sign of stopping.

Stylist Lorielle Broussard and her brother Brandon launched Barack-A-Wear on a whim. After Brandon saw a homemade sign at an Obama rally that read, “Barack The Vote,” the siblings decided to make their own t-shirts, approximating the brush-stroke check of the popular Rock The Vote campaign.

The designs took off amongst their friends and caught the eye of actor (and Obama’s Harvard Law classmate) Hill Harper. After Harper managed to slip the shirts into gift-bags at an Oprah-sponsored Obama fundraiser, the company began to grow exponentially.

Like similar unofficial campaign merchandise & sites, Barack-A-Wear was created by political neophytes. “We’d never been a part of politics. It’s the first time [my parents] have a sign in their yard and are volunteering in the campaign. [Obama is] making a difference, and now we’re making a difference because of him.”

Obama gear has been typically more popular than other candidates. On Zazzle.com, which sells thousands of custom-made products, the third best-selling category was Obama t-shirts. Sarah Palin t-shirts were fourth, while McCain paraphernalia didn't crack the top 10. CafePress.com has an inventory of 87,900 Obama designs, versus 53, 800 McCain designs.

Even high fashion designers have joined the fray. Spring 2009 collections from Sonia Rykiel and Jean Charles de Castalbac featured shifts and sweater-dresses emblazoned with the new President's grinning mug. Obama’s dominance in the paraphernalia game also stems from the campaign’s embrace of independent designers and the active courting of the fashion industry. In August 2008, the Obama campaign mobilized several high-end designers such as Isaac Mizrahi and Diane Von Furstenberg to create fashion-forward T-shirts and tote bags. And, at this point, we all know about Shepard Fairey and his Obama-endorsed designs (even if their success has sort of become a thorn in Shepard’s side).

Obama spokeswoman Moira Mack told The Boston Globe that the campaign does not discourage independent designers and acknowledged, “there is unprecedented interest...that is reflected in Obama gear.” Broussard also notes the campaign’s inclusive attitude stems from the man himself. “We met Barack in July at a dinner in L.A. He already knew who we were from the people in his campaign. We let him know that we make the Barack The Vote shirts and we give back to [the] campaign and we do events. And he was just very gracious and [said] ‘Every little bit helps.’ He was very appreciative of what we’re doing and what everyone’s doing.”

Easy access to Obama designs online has engendered an increasingly cutthroat market. “It's one of the most competitive areas of clothing you can get into,” says the anonymous artist behind BarackObamaIsMyHomeboy.com. “This is just a hobby of mine, but some places have their entire livelihood based off of political t-shirts. People have bootlegged my design and are selling them in person on city corners and such.” Broussard agrees that the competition has ramped up since she first started, with people trying to sell her designs without her permission on CafePress.com.

While the online market is characterized by the pros and cons of hyper-accessibility, the street economy is infinitely more shady. When asked to comment, many refuse to answer or summon grisly-looking men to speak on their behalf. They give fake names and e-mail addresses. As with many black-market enterprises, candor is at a premium.

Eric Tucker sells Obama t-shirts on the streets in Los Angeles, and got into the business both inspired by the success of the first African-American president and hoping to pick up some extra cash. Tucker says the ease of obtaining Obama images online and the relatively inexpensive printing costs prompts many to get into the street gear game. Tucker insists most of the curbside operations are supplied by two main wholesalers but declined to elaborate. Similarly, vendors selling Obama gear in Midtown NYC shops refused to disclose their wholesale sources, citing “business strategies.”

The streets are also populated with artists using the election to market both political sentiments and personal creativity. Russell Cusick sells homemade tiles splashed with Obama’s image in NYC’s Union Square. A photographer by trade, Cusick canvassed for John Kerry in 2004 and notes that voter confidence in the Obama campaign has been boundless compared to Kerry’s presidential bid. As one African-American Philadelphia street vendor put it, “I’ve got some grandchildren, and I want them to run for president one day. This is the biggest moment in the life of America.”

Of course, the industry has changed, post-election. Broussard, for example, is launching a non-partisan line called Yo Town.

“First of all, you’ve got November to January,” she explained last year. “[We’ll get] everyone that wasn’t rocking it and they’ll be like, ‘Oh we have to buy more for the inauguration.’ And he’ll be in office for four years and hopefully another four. So it’s not gonna end.”

BarackObamaIsMyHomeboy.com will also keep going, but with decidedly less fanfare.

“I'm not really sure what to expect after the election," says the site's founder. "I'll still keep the website running, but I'd imagine there will much less activity on the site. I don't really keep track of the countless hours I've poured into creating and maintaining everything. It's a lot of blood, sweat and tears, for sure.”

The explosion of this cottage industry is a prime example of Barack Obama’s strength as a brand. The current controversy over our man Shepard Fairey’s “Hope” posters is all a product of Obama’s growth as an icon, and so just that: a product. The further his image develops into a commodity, the greater the legal concerns and arguments over artists and hustlers replicating his image in their own framework.

Yet, the central motivation of those who reproduce or trade in unauthorized Obama gear is often left out of the debate -- which is tragic, considering it is that unique combination of political inspiration and entrepreneurial drive which has led to these products in the first place. As the anonymous artist behind BarackObamaIsMyHomeboy.com explains, “it’s not so much of a business that I'm very motivated to do … designs for McCain or Palin. It's so much easier and rewarding to work on designs for a candidate you truly believe in.”

With ideology in mind before profit, the controversies suddenly seem far less important; hustlers they may be, but they’re also dreamers, with their eyes on the prize. And in the end (or at least, in November of 2008), Obama’s words to Broussard seem to ring with perspective: every little bit really did help.

Editor's Note : For more on the Shepard Fairey controversy, check out Shepard's amazing interviews on NPR's Fresh Air here and here ....