With the 2012 United States Presidential election cycle now in full swing, a sizable contingent of fashion designers is working to sew up a victory for Barack Obama, under a new campaign initiative dubbed Runway to Win.

As part of the push, the Obama-Biden campaign has partnered with 22 designers to create merchandise that will raise funds for the president's re-election efforts.

The initiative officially started last week, when an e-commerce site at runwaytowin.com was launched to sell products from participating designers, who include Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch, Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, Joseph Altuzarra, Rag & Bone, Rachel Roy and Tracy Reece. The designs include T-shirts, tote bags, scarves and wristlets, with all proceeds going to the Obama Victory Fund.

Vogue magazine was instrumental in assembling the Runway to Win designers, said sources. Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has been a highly public supporter of Obama and the Democratic Party, having co-hosted a string of fundraisers for the president and the party in recent years.

Wintour and actress Scarlett Johansson will co-host another fundraising event in February, centered on Runway to Win, which is expected to draw the participating designers and a number of celebrities. That benefit in New York is currently being planned and organized by Sylvana Ward Durrett, director of special events at Vogue.

Runway to Win is modeled on a 2008 fashion initiative by the Obama campaign, which was called Runway to Change.

Designers involved in that first election effort included Donna Karan, Narciso Rodriguez, Rachel Roy, Alexander Wang, Von Furstenberg, Derek Lam, Isaac Mizrahi, Zac Posen and House of Dereon, the collection created by Beyonce and Tina Knowles.

This year, some fashion executives were wary of publicly siding with Obama's re-election campaign due to the risk of alienating their brands from Republican voters.

LVHM Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton executives initially vetoed brands in their luxury stable from participating in Runway to Win, said sources. However, Marc Jacobs, which is majority owned by LVMH, went ahead with its T-shirt design for the project, following pressure from Vogue, said sources.

Wintour has been a driving force in organizing Seventh Avenue's support for Obama and the Democrats. She is among an elite group of bundlers who have raised in excess of $500,000 for Obama's 2012 campaign.

The New York Times Syndicate

(China Daily 01/15/2012 page13)