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DVF, Derek Lam, Tracy Reese Design Clothes and Bags for Obama Campaign

Barack with his rising-sun logo.Photo: Getty Images

Glambama strikes again! Barack Obama’s campaign has arranged for twenty fashion designers to create clothing and tote bags to sell on the campaign’s Website next month. The funny thing is the whole project came about in sort of a real-life Project Runway challenge scenario. Robin Givhan reports for the Washington Post that once grassroots supporters convinced the Obama camp to go along with the idea, designers had one week to sign on, come up with a sketch for the campaign to approve, and present a sample. With no strict rules on pricing, designers were allowed to use Barack’s image and his rising-sun logo in their designs. (Runway producers: Are you taking notes?) Diane Von Furstenberg and Isaac Mizrahi designed tote bags. Derek Lam designed a cotton muslin bag with a carnation print from his spring 2004 collection. Tracy Reese made a shirt, and Charles Nolan made a wrap T-shirt. Rumor has it Vera Wang, Russell Simmons, and Beyoncé are also contributing designs.

And remember that “Runway to Change” Obama fund-raiser being held here during Fashion Week, the invites for which misspelled Anna Wintour’s name? The designers who contributed to the clothing project have been asked to attend wearing their designs.

Givhan notes of the new clothes and bags, “The benefit to the candidate is a direct line to the ‘Project Runway’ crowd. The risk, of course, is being perceived as highbrow or shallow.” We say go ahead and sling that mud, Obama haters. It will be hard to make it stick to his supporters when they’re looking so Glambamarous in their new duds.

Fashion Designers Hope to Stitch Up an Obama Win [WP]
Related: Obama’s People Misspell Anna Wintour’s Name in a Bad, Bad Way

DVF, Derek Lam, Tracy Reese Design Clothes and Bags for Obama Campaign