# Presidential Catwalk Mania Barack Obama's Face Hits the Roman Runways By lourdes sanchez bayas | Published 2009-02-03 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/catwalk-presidential-mania-barack-obamas-face-hit-the-roman-runways References: [uk.reuters](http://uk.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUKTRE5114AB20090202) You’d think that after Barack Obama was voted into the [White House](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/offwhite-x-mattel-monster-high-memorabilia), the worldwide mania and cult of personality surrounding the Commander in Chief, would have reached its crescendo and abated a little bit. A couple of months ago, French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s Paris runway featured a model wearing a dress with [President Obama’s](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/obama-jean-charles-de-castelbajac) image on it. Just recently, the mania over the 44th President reached the catwalks of Rome, where Italian haute couture fashion designer Guillermo Mariotto sent a model down his runway wearing a red and beige kaftan emblazoned with Shepard Fairey’s portrait of Obama. The model showcased the kaftan during Gattinoni’s [Rome Fashion Week Haute Couture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dominican-heritage) Spring/Summer 2009 show on February 1, 2009. Note: The last two images come from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s Paris runway. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.2/10 - Popularity: 20% | Activity: 7% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Hip Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/hipfashion) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Cult of Personality Fashion:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Designing clothing and accessories featuring images of popular political figures. - **Political Iconography in Fashion:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporating portraits of iconic political figures into fashion designs. - **Celebrity-inspired Runway Trends:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Creating runway fashions that showcase images and motifs of famous celebrities. ### Where This Applies - **Fashion Design:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Collaborating with artists to create unique and iconic fashion pieces. - **Political Advertising:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilizing popular political figures to promote fashion brands. - **Event Planning:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporating political themes and imagery into fashion shows and other events. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Wild Animal-Decorated Gowns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/schiaparelli-lion-head.md) - [Cult Film-Inspired High Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-lion-king-collection.md) - [Potato Sack Couture Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/haute-potato-collection.md) - [Peace-Resembling Dress Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/peace-dress.md) - [Dominican Heritage-Inspired Fashion Runways](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dominican-heritage.md) - [Voting-Themed Fashion Ads](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/youve-got-the-power.md) - [Politically-Inspired Runway Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/selkies-the-libertine-collection.md) - [Cinematic Fashion Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alessandro-micheles.md) - [Couture Ketchup Dresses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/la-robe-ketchup.md)