Since I came home for the summer, I have been spending a lot of my shopping time in The Closet: California Couture. Everything they have in there is the epitome of street California fashion, which is definitely a style I have missed a lot since I moved out to Boston. All my time intensely searching through the racks at The Closet has made me fall in love with the company OBEY. Their screenprints grab your attention and have a message that means more than “it looks cool.”

I decided to look into the history of the clothing company, and apparently I’ve been living under a rock when it comes to their street art campaign. So I’m going to give a brief history of OBEY for others like me. Frank Shepard Fairey started the Andre the Giant has a Posse street art campaign in Charleston back in 1986. The posters and stickers of the famous wrestler/actor started out as an inside joke in the hip hop and skater culture, but the phenomenon soon spread throughout the east coast, and eventually they became prevalent in urban areas. So in the end, Fairey actually started a posse of people who were in on the Andre the Giant joke.

If you don’t live near a store that sells Obey, there is a huge selection of Obey’s clothing and accessories on KarmaLoop.com. Some of my personal favorites are the Peace and Love Are Watching You T-shirt and the Curiosity Killed the Cat Ballet T-shirt. I love the irony of the Peace and Love are Watching You T-shirt and how it uses an artistic screen print to convey a strong political message. If I passed by someone on the street wearing this shirt, I would pause for a second and take a good look at it. Plus, what’s nice about this particular Obey crew neck is that the opening is a little bit bigger than normal, which gives the shirt more of a feminine look. With the Curiosity Killed the Cat Ballet T-shirt, Obey is sending out an anti-war message in a more subtle way. If you don’t look at the shirt carefully, it could just look like two kittens playing with some toy or yarn. Look a little closer and you see that they are playing with a grenade. Woah, curveball. The Obey ballet t-shirt style is probably one of my favorites because of the huge scoop neck and longer sleeves. Unlike many other screenprint companies, Obey actually offers provocative and interesting t-shirts for girl and not just the guys. I can only wear guy t-shirts so much before I start wanting to wear something a little more feminine. Obey shirts aren’t super fitted to begin with, but if want a shirt that’s a little looser and longer (like me) go a size up from your normal size. Check out the large selection of Obey at KarmaLoop.com and use the code AI23807 for 20% off your order.