OBEY (clothing)

OBEY

Type	Private
Industry	Clothing
Founded	2001 (2001)
Founder	Shepard Fairey
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Area served	Worldwide
Products	General apparel for men and women
Brands	Obey Giant, Studio number one, Subliminal projects
Website	obeyclothing.co.uk (UK) obeyclothing.com (USA)

OBEY Clothing is a popular streetwear producing company founded in 2001 by street artist and illustrator Shepard Fairey as an extension to his work in activism.

The brand is well known for incorporating politically and socially provocative propaganda into the designs of their clothing and its founder describes this as manufacturing dissent.

Design

OBEY incorporates designs into their products that are commonly perceived as controversial or anti-establishment orientated. Many items have symbols that reflect communist styled propaganda which are laid against a backdrop of additional artwork that is generally associated with Capitalism, guildism and Secret society. This portrayal of diametric opposites (opposite extremes) creates a unique form of expression. The company also produces products that artistically depict political controversy, often by using provocative imagery that the media or society generally associates with it. Due to the designers incorporating so many controversial or contradictory topics into a single clothing print, those who look at them are often left to make completely undirected interpretations of the piece and its connotations.

Conspiracy theories

The brand is often subject to numerous conspiracy theories which it refutes. A common theory is that the Brand is controlled by the Illuminati or freemasons. Theorists often assume connections due to the designs of Obey branded clothing which includes symbols that are commonly associated with conspiracy theories for example, the Eye of Providence. There is no evidence that the Brand does in fact have any involvement with these organizations and the founder actively denounces any such similarities.