OBEY Soirée Under the Summer Stars

By Danielle Lipiec // Photos by Lauren ChenaultFire Islanders flocked from far and wide on Friday, June 21, to attend the long-awaited Gay Rights Awareness Fundraiser held by FiveEight- Three at the Island Mermaid in Ocean Beach. Guests enjoyed drinks, raffles, live music, and more.The closed-off section of the Island Mermaid was adorned with pride paraphernalia as the community convened beneath the VIP tent to enjoy a night with friends and raise money for the Long Island based LGBTQ youth charity, Pride for Youth. While FiveEightThree will be giving 10 percent of its merchandise sales throughout the summer to Pride for Youth, all of the proceeds of the fundraising event will go to the charity.A $20 entry fee gained attendees access to the VIP tent, a bar along with one free drink, hors d’oeuvres, a private musical performance by Caitlin Bell and Andy Mac, and a bracelet for access to the inside bar. It also gave them an opportunity to participate in a raffle for a number of prizes and packages including the FiveEightThree Pride Package, which consisted of the OBEY Awareness tote, hoodie, T-shirt, tank top and two hats.The event showcased FiveEightThree’s collaboration with OBEY, which OBEY creator Shepard Fairey made into a worldwide campaign following its initial Fire Island release. While the campaign’s roots lie within Fire Island, it has worked its way out to OBEY flagship stores and retailers worldwide as OBEY’s 2019 Awareness campaign.“We feel like we were given such a gift with this opportunity, and we are going to do as much as we can to continue these efforts throughout the whole summer,” Sean Klentzin, co-owner of FiveEightThree said in an interview.Learn more about Pride for Youth by visiting their website www.prideforyouth.org.