Let's face it, the 90s were awesome. In a time of pre-Internet subculture, listless urbanites and artistically-minded individuals turned to street art both as a way to lash out at a world they had not yet found their place in and combat a seemingly endless wave of ennui.
Within this class of contemporary alt-artists, names like Barry McGee, Geoff McFetridge, Espo, and Shepard Fairey seemed to rise above the rest — not only because of their unique artistic perspectives, but also the way in which their work seemed to proliferate. It was almost as if they were going viral in a world where memes didn't exist yet. The 2008 documentary Beautiful Losers focuses on the careers and work of this collective group of artists, each playing an influential hand in the burgeoning D.I.Y. world of street art.
Of course, many found a way to turn their talent into gold, as companies quickly found out that the D.I.Y. style was highly-relevant and a great marketing tool, so of course they tapped many of these young artists for collaborations and full-on marketing campaigns. Here's some of our favorites. Check out Beautiful Sellouts: 10 Commercial Projects From Beautiful Losers Artists.