Sam Morrison likes to create thought-provoking art.
In high school, he made silk-screen shirts and decks of cards with secret compartments inside. But over the past several years, most of his projects were digital — that is, until he had the idea last year to make physical flip-flops out of President Donald Trump's tweets.
"Take a scroll through Donald Trump's 40,000 tweets, and you're sure to catch some contradicting opinions," Morrison told Business Insider over email. "I wanted to highlight this hypocrisy."
Morrison had a full-time job in the advertising industry at the time, but he got to work on producing his flip-flops. He sourced his own materials and printed and packaged every flip-flop by hand.
On September 5, 2017, Sam Morrison started selling his Trump-themed flip-flops through a website called PresidentFlipFlops.com.
On September 5, 2017, Sam Morrison started selling his Trump-themed flip-flops through a website called PresidentFlipFlops.com.
He sold every single pair in less than a month.
Despite his marketing budget of $0, his flip-flops went viral anyway, getting coverage from major news outlets like MSNBC, HuffPost, Fortune, and the BBC. They also made the rounds on Twitter and Reddit.
Despite his marketing budget of $0, his flip-flops went viral anyway, getting coverage from major news outlets like MSNBC, HuffPost, Fortune, and the BBC. They also made the rounds on Twitter and Reddit.Sam Morrison
Morrison said he donated 10% of every purchase to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Morrison said he donated 10% of every purchase to the American Civil Liberties Union.
Morrison told Business Insider that the flip-flops were a limited run because of the effort and complexities behind the production.
Morrison told Business Insider that the flip-flops were a limited run because of the effort and complexities behind the production.
"The minimum order of raw materials was 1,000 pairs and took two months to ship to me," he said. "I hand-printed all 1,000 pairs with a heat press, packaged and shipped everything myself, so it was a very time-intensive project."
All told, Morrison made three flip-flop designs, based on three sets of contradictory Trump tweets.
All told, Morrison made three flip-flop designs, based on three sets of contradictory Trump tweets.
These are the "Syria Edition" Trump flip-flops.
In 2013, Trump tweeted to urge President Barack Obama not to attack Syria. In April 2017, Trump attacked Syria.
In 2013, Trump tweeted to urge President Barack Obama not to attack Syria. In April 2017, Trump attacked Syria.
These are the "Electoral College" flip-flops.
In November 2012, Trump tweeted that the Electoral College "is a disaster for a democracy." Almost exactly four years later, just days after winning the 2016 presidential election, Trump called the Electoral College "actually genius."
In November 2012, Trump tweeted that the Electoral College
Finally, these are the "Sources" flip-flops.
In 2012, Trump tweeted that Obama's birth certificate was a fraud, based on an "extremely credible source." Four years later, Trump urged people not to believe anyone who cites unnamed sources.
In 2012, Trump tweeted that Obama's birth certificate was a fraud, based on an
Despite making only three flip-flop designs, in five sizes, with a price point of about $30, Morrison sold every single Trump flip-flop he made in less than a month. He says they are "permanently sold out."
Despite making only three flip-flop designs, in five sizes, with a price point of about $30, Morrison sold every single Trump flip-flop he made in less than a month. He says they are
Morrison said that people from 47 states purchased the Trump flip-flops, but that given the effort to produce and ship all the shoes while still working a full-time job, President Flip Flops was a limited run.
Should Morrison decide to make more flip-flops in the future, though, he should have plenty of good source material.
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Source: Business Insider