Its iconic screen print designs are worn at festivals and clubs all over the world
Wasted Heroes, the pioneering fashion brand which began in Liverpool in 2010, has evolved to be one of the world’s most recognisable dancefloor and street wear brands. It has cultivated a global audience who love its hand-made screen-printed range for festivals and club clothes and everyday wear.
Seeing how far Wasted Heroes has travelled is always mind-blowing
Based in Liverpool, the independent studio has become an international label, whose iconic designs are now part of electronic music culture, worn by icons including Carl Cox, Charlotte de Witte and Gorgon City.
Over the last decade Wasted Heroes has grown with over 40% of all sales international - from Europe to the USA and from Hong Kong to New Zealand.
Founded by Russell Reid, the company has always proudly operated in the city, employing a team of local staff. Now they are getting ready to mark their tenth anniversary by producing some unique digital content, including a unique behind the scenes video from the studio.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Russell says, “from making the very first designs through to where we are now. My background is in graphic design, so I have always framed Wasted Heroes’ look and feel with bold images and stand-out text. “I have always sought to create clothing that can be worn at a party or at home and everywhere inbetween - I think this is what keeps us fresh. We have customers tagging us the world over, from incredible clubs or meeting friends to just hanging out. There’s a lot of identity shared with Wasted Heroes and the people who wear it. Seeing how far Wasted Heroes has travelled is always mind-blowing.”
The company’s ethos has always been to keep it indie and produce everything in-house with ethical foundations. Garments are screen-printed by hand using environmentally friendly water-based inks. All printed products are made with organic cotton and sourced from verified ethical and climate neutral manufacturers. The entire process is certified by EarthPositive® and OEKO-TEX, and all tees and hoodies are Approved Vegan. All packing is biodegradable or non-plastic keeping unnecessary waste to a minimum.
And because Wasted Heroes keep everything in-house, from designing the print to screen-printing and photography, they have the ability to react on ideas and club culture news instantly, taking a design from concept to reality and on the site to purchase within a day.
“This has always been really fundamental to us,” Russell explains, “to be as environmentally friendly as possible and also being able to react to what is happening around the world, and get designs out the same day. I don’t know if everyone realises how we actually make everything here – we’re not a factory or a production line, it’s all done by hand.”
Now as the company looks ahead for the next decade, they will be celebrating and reflecting on becoming such an iconic brand, with digital content dropping in the coming weeks. Due to Covid restrictions, an exhibition of unique t-shirt prints over the 10-year period is now planned for 2021.
Visit www.wastedheroes-shop.com
Insta: @wasted_heroes / Twitter: @wastedheroes / FB:
www.facebook.com/wastedheroes/
