Glen E. Friedman x OBEY Collection featuring iconic GEF images of Tony Alva, Henry Rollins, Public Enemy and Dr. Cornel West.
PRESS RELEASE:
We’re proud to present a collaboration between legendary photographer Glen E. Friedman and OBEY. Glen has shot some of the most memorable and meaningful photos in skateboarding, punk rock, hip hop and more over the last 30 years. Always with an eye for perfection and living by the definition of integrity, Glen has amassed a body of work including album covers for the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, and Suicidal Tendencies. He was there to shoot Minor Threat, Bad Brains and the DC scene. Glen was in back yard pools taking pictures of Tony Alva and the Dogtown crew as they changed skateboarding.
He has always been an influence of OBEY and Shepard –
“Glen E. Friedman is considered one of the most important photographers of his generation. I’ve been honored to collaborate with him many times over the years. I admire his idealism, anti-conformist stance, and his choices in photo subjects from skateboarding, punk rock, hip-hop, and progressive activism…the cultures that made me who I am. We made these shirts to celebrate the release of his new book that I helped design. Glen demonstrates tremendous conviction in his work and I’m grateful to be able to visually amplify the iconic qualities of his photos and their subjects through my illustration.” – Shepard Fairey
Over the years, Glen and Shepard have collaborated on a number of projects, most of which were never available on apparel. Now Glen has released a new book, My Rules, and we thought it was a perfect time to release some of those collaborations. So in support of My Rules we are releasing 4 of those works, each representing a different genre. There is Tony Alva from Dogtown and skateboarding, Henry Rollins from Black Flag, Cornell West the political activist and Public Enemy for hip hop:
Tony Alva – One of the most incredible trailblazers of the sport of all time. Alva was the first skateboarder ever inducted to the “Skateboarding Hall of Fame”, and the first Skateboarder ever voted “Skateboarder of the Year”, The first Skateboarder to do aerials in pools. A precision stylist whose influence will never diminish. Alva set standards when there were none and helped the sport progress like few others.
Henry Rollins – One of the most important punk rock front men of all time. Henry took Black Flag to popularity they had not seen before his arrival from his humble beginnings in Washington DC as one of the founders of that incredible hardcore scene. Since forming the “Rollins Band” and his own publishing company, writing for major publications and hosting culturally relevant television programming, Henry is a true renaissance man of our time.
Public Enemy – The group who helped to forge a political and cultural awakening in Hip-Hop and culture at large, while making some of the most incredibly dynamic recordings of our time. Their second album “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” is often referred to as the greatest and most important Hip-Hop album of all time. The group’s front man Chuck D. is clearly one of the most respected voices of his generation.
Dr. Cornel West – A hero to many, Dr. West is a prominent and provocative, celebrated American philosopher activist, and public intellectual. He has authored more than twenty books. He has taught at Yale, Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Paris. His radical rebel status can be summarized by his admission that indeed he is “suspicious of all forms of authority”.
Available at select retailers worldwide in February 2015.
Opening Night Photos:
