Can Stylish Obama Gear Help the President Get Reelected?

Stylish campaign gear may help rally Barack Obama supporters.

The Obamas have always been a stylish couple, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour believes fashionable gear for supporters can help get the president reelected. As a backer of Barack Obama, Wintour has hosted many fundraisers on his behalf (she helped raise over $500,000 for his reelection bid), and now she's working on a new project called Runway to Win. (It's a follow up to 2008's Runway to Change.) According to Women's Wear Daily, Vogue has gotten a group of 22 designers together to design Obama-centric graphic t-shirts, tote bags, and other merchandise to benefit the Obama Victory Fund. The good will go on sale on Thursday, January 12.

Executives at LVMH (the parent company behind Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Donna Karan, and Givenchy among others brands) were reluctant to involve their brands in these efforts for fear of alienating their Republican clientele, but designers ultimately could make their own decisions. While Donna Karan turned down the opportunity, Marc Jacobs (who also designs for Louis Vuitton) will be creating Obama merchandise. Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu, Tracy Reese, Tory Burch, Rachel Ro, Rag & Bone, and Joseph Altuzarra will also be participating.

Women's Wear Daily also points out that executives and employees of fashion brands contributed almost double the money to Obama's campaign as they did to John McCain's campaign during the 2008 presidential election.

Do you think stylish campaign gear can help wrangle in supporters and help Obama get reelected, or does Runway to Win seem like a frivolous effort?

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