Obey was founded by Shepard Fairey. It began as an experiment in phenomenology, as Shepard pasted an image of renowned wrestler Andre the Giant wherever he could. We remember some of his first stickers from an early London trip, which remained in our Covent Garden store until it closed. This movement gained momentum, becoming much bigger than the sum of its parts. The Obey brand was finally launched in 2001, a name inspired by John Carpenter’s film “They Live”, an Orwellian tale that remains relevant. Obey will always represent the power of subversion, and we’re happy to have it on our rails.
