Original lithograph signed and dated by Shepard Fairey, American contemporary artist, founder of OBEY.
The Obey Clothing brand was formed in 2001, but its original idea germinated in its creator's mind many years earlier. In 1989, activist Shepard Fairey studied at the Rhode Island School of Design.
While helping a friend with a stencil job, he created a funny sticker depicting professional wrestler Andre Roussimoff, also known as "Andre the Giant." He completed the sticker by writing "Andre the Giant has a Posse, 7'4", 520lb" as a joke aimed at hip-hop culture and the skate community.
The two friends then decided to spread the sticker clandestinely, first in their city, Providence, then throughout the Eastern United States. The goal, according to Shepard Fairey, was to make it a phenomenological experiment, since the sticker spread like real propaganda.
Soon after, he was sued by Titan Sports for using the trademark "Andre the Giant." He decided to create a less realistic image of the wrestler, and associate it with a brand new label: "OBEY."
