Hasta La Ideas

Selecting Bill Owens‘ photographs from the infamous 1969 Altamont Speedway concert as the new graphics for skate-inspired label Altamont may seem an obvious choice, but the connection runs deeper than a shared name.

The Altamont credo, “Find a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” embodies not just how the brand feels about designing clothing, but also speaks the spirit of Owens and his photographs.

Monetarily forced to quit his passion after a successful run—one which includes the critically acclaimed book “Suburbia,”—Owens never fully surrendered and today continues to create inspirational work in both photography and video.

In addition to his books, the Altamont Speedway photos represent Owens’ interest in showing how people really live. On assignment as a photojournalist, he attended the subversive show in upstate California where he captured the enthusiasm of the youth culture during that time, much as the Altamont brand does today with their line of apparel boasting artwork from up-and-coming wavemakers.

The Bill Owens collection includes tees (click above images for detail), caps and hoodies, which can be purchased online from the Altamont website.