Obey Giant
Obey Giant is a privately held Los Angeles art brand founded in 1989 by Shepard Fairey, producing signed limited-edition prints, murals, exhibitions, fine art, and the $OBEY social token for a global base of collectors, activists, and licensing partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Obey Giant does
Obey Giant is a privately held creative enterprise founded in 1989 by artist Shepard Fairey in Los Angeles, operating as an art brand, e-commerce business, and activism platform. Its product portfolio is built around signed limited-edition and open-edition prints (screen print, letterpress, offset, serigraph), original mixed-media works, large-scale public murals, and curated exhibitions at institutions such as Le Gallerie d'Italia in Naples. The company runs a direct-to-consumer online store (store.obeygiant.com) at accessible price points ($30–$65 for prints, higher tiers for fine art), supplemented by bespoke licensing, mural commissions, and design-request services. Recent additions include NFT collections and an ERC-20 social token ($OBEY) with token-gated Discord access, extending the brand into a web3 collector ecosystem.
The business model combines several revenue streams: direct-to-consumer print and merchandise sales via the owned store, licensing inquiries routed through obeyclothing.com, fine art sales by direct contact, mural and exhibition commissions, and emerging digital/token sales. Distribution relies primarily on the company website, its blog/news channel, and partnerships with galleries (e.g., Turner Carroll, Subliminal Projects, Wunderkammern) and merchandise collaborators such as Theory11. Production partners include Monster Media for large-format printing and Verisart for blockchain-issued Certificates of Authenticity on physical works.
The company maintains a global operational footprint spanning North America, Europe (UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Estonia, Switzerland), Asia-Pacific (Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Australia, Japan, China), the Middle East (UAE), South America (Brazil), and Canada, driven by exhibitions and mural installations rather than physical retail. The company is structured as a sole proprietorship or closely-held entity with no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds. Shephard Fairey serves as the sole founder, artist, and creative director.
Obey Giant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Obey Giant
- Legal name
- Obey Giant
- Website
- https://obeygiant.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Obey Giant is a privately held Los Angeles art brand founded in 1989 by Shepard Fairey, producing signed limited-edition prints, murals, exhibitions, fine art, and the $OBEY social token for a global base of collectors, activists, and licensing partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Obey Giant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art Studio & Fine Art Sales
- NAICS
- Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510), Art Dealers (45992)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchandising & D2C Management (Artists) (MPAIAGAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Creator Licensing & Rights Monetization (UGC Licensing, Music/Video Rights) (MPACAFAK)
Keywords
Where Obey Giant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Obey Giant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Obey Giant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Obey Giant is an art studio and brand founded by Shepard Fairey that creates, sells, and licenses limited edition screen prints, letterpress prints, offset lithographs, original mixed media paintings, and digital collectibles (NFTs and the $OBEY social token). The company also produces large-scale public murals, curates gallery exhibitions worldwide, and distributes free downloadable activist posters through its Art for Freedom initiative.
Product overview
Obey Giant is a street art and activism brand founded by Shepard Fairey, operating primarily as an art studio and e-commerce business rather than a software platform. The company offers limited edition prints and original artworks (the core product), public murals and gallery exhibitions, NFT/digital collectibles including the $OBEY social token, free downloadable protest graphics, and licensing/design services. The product portfolio includes various print mediums (screen print, letterpress, offset, serigraph), original mixed media paintings and sculptures, and collaborative merchandise. The company also operates as a platform for political activism through the Art for Freedom initiative and accepts commissions for murals and custom designs. The business model combines direct-to-consumer art sales with licensing, exhibition curation, and web3 community engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OBEY Token ($OBEY): A social token (ERC-20) on the Ethereum blockchain used for community membership and access to gated content within the Obey Giant web3 ecosystem.
Products and services
- Limited Edition Prints Hand-signed screen prints, letterpress prints, serigraphs, and offset lithographs created by Shepard Fairey. Released in numbered or open editions with various dimensions, paper types, and color variants. Sold through the online store in limited quantities.
- NFT Collection Digital collectibles including DEGENERATE and REGENERATE NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain. Social tokens and digital art releases available through nft.obeygiant.com.
- $OBEY Token ERC-20 social token on the Ethereum blockchain providing membership and community access. Holders gain access to gated Discord sections and future exclusive physical, digital, and limited-edition releases.
- Stickers The iconic OBEY sticker featuring the Andre the Giant/Obey face design, available via sticker request for activism purposes or purchase from partner printers.
- Fine Art Sales Acquisition services for original Shepard Fairey artworks including mixed media paintings, wood-mounted HPM prints, silkscreen works on metal and wood panels, rubylith works, and sculptures.
- Licensing Licensing services for incorporating OBEY imagery on product lines for brand enhancement and sales purposes, including clothing licensing via obeyclothing.com.
- Design Request Custom print and design creation services for specific projects, including new artwork commissions and collaborative design work.
- Exhibitions & Gallery Shows Solo and group exhibitions featuring Shepard Fairey's artwork at museums, galleries, and street art festivals worldwide, including retrospective shows, themed exhibitions, and international art fair appearances.
- Murals & Public Art Large-scale mural installations created in cities worldwide, including Peace is Power in Naples, Rise Above Mosaic in Santa Fe, and murals in Miami, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Seattle, and international locations.
Companies that use Obey Giant
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles3 records
Obey Giant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Obey Giant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Theory11minorTheory11 collaborated with Obey Giant on a puzzle collaboration, creating artistic puzzle products for collectors and fans.
- Monster MediaminorMonster Media handled printing services for #artforfreedom posters, supporting the artistic and social cause campaigns.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Obey Giant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Hundreds: The Hundreds is a streetwear/art-brand hybrid built on founder-driven identity, graphic prints, drops, and collaborations. It shares Obey Giant's D2C merchandising and graphic-led product DNA.
- Faile: Faile is a street art collective producing screen prints, editions, sculpture, and gallery shows — directly comparable to Obey Giant's print-led, exhibition-driven model.
- Invader: Invader operates a global street-art practice built on mosaic installations, editioned prints, exhibitions, and a strong collector following — directly comparable as a globally distributed street-art brand.
- Banksy: Banksy runs a parallel street-art brand with editions, prints, merchandise, and authentication services (Pest Control). Both monetize a single artist's identity through limited-edition drops, exhibitions, and secondary-market prestige.
- KAWS: Brian Donnelly's KAWS operates the same independent-artist brand model — limited edition prints, vinyl toys, large-scale sculpture, gallery exhibitions, and brand collaborations targeting the same street-art collector audience as Obey Giant.
- RETNA: RETNA is a contemporary street artist known for large-scale murals, limited-edition prints, and gallery exhibitions, with a comparable print + mural + exhibition business profile.
- Daniel Arsham: Daniel Arsham runs an artist brand with limited editions, sculpture, architecture-flavored merch, and major collaborations. He is among the closest comparables on brand-driven editioning and crossover collaborations.
- JR: JR is a globally active street artist and activist whose practice combines large-scale public installations, photography editions, and social/political campaigns — closely paralleling Obey Giant's activist street-art positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Damien Hirst: Damien Hirst is an established artist with a long history of editioned prints, merchandise, NFT projects (The Currency), and major gallery representation — a broader incumbent that has monetized artist IP across the same channels Obey Giant is pursuing.
- Takashi Murakami: Murakami operates an artist-led brand spanning fine art, editioned prints, merchandise, NFT projects, and major gallery representation (Perrotin, Gagosian). He is a broader incumbent with deeper institutional infrastructure but the same artist-as-brand operating logic.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Obey Giant social profiles
Digital presenceObey Giant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Obey Giant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Obey Giant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Obey Giant M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Obey Giant
What does Obey Giant do?
Obey Giant is an art studio and brand founded by Shepard Fairey that creates, sells, and licenses limited edition screen prints, letterpress prints, offset lithographs, original mixed media paintings, and digital collectibles (NFTs and the $OBEY social token). The company also produces large-scale public murals, curates gallery exhibitions worldwide, and distributes free downloadable activist posters through its Art for Freedom initiative.
Is Obey Giant a public or private company?
Obey Giant is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Obey Giant founded?
Obey Giant was founded in 1989. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Obey Giant based?
Obey Giant is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Obey Giant's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Hundreds, Faile, Invader, Banksy, KAWS, RETNA, Daniel Arsham and JR. Broad incumbents are Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami.
Does Obey Giant have an API?
No public API is recorded for Obey Giant.
What industry is Obey Giant in?
Obey Giant's product category is Art Studio & Fine Art Sales. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIAGAI, Merchandising & D2C Management (Artists), with a secondary code of MPACAFAK, Creator Licensing & Rights Monetization (UGC Licensing, Music/Video Rights). Its NAICS code is 711510.