Liverpool fashion brand Wasted Heroes celebrates 10 years

Liverpool fashion brand Wasted Heroes is celebrating its 10^th anniversary and we spoke to owner Russell Reid about the brand’s journey so far, its celebrity fan base and how fashion will survive 2020.

The pioneering fashion brand has evolved to be one of the world’s most recognisable dancefloor and street wear brands, cultivating a global audience who love its hand-made screen-printed range.

Based in Liverpool, the independent studio has evolved into an international label, creating countless iconic designs which are now part of electronic music culture, from festivals and clubs through to everyday wear, championed and worn by icons including Carl Cox, Charlotte de Witte and Gorgon City. Over the last decade Wasted Heroes has grown its reach, 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 been proudly operating in the city during its tenure, employing a team of local staff. Now they are getting ready to mark the momentous occasion with some unique digital content in the coming weeks, including a unique behind the scenes video from the studio. Due to Covid restrictions, an exhibition of t-shirt prints from the 10-year period is now planned for 2021.

“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.”

Since it started, the company’s ethos has been to always to keep it indie and produce everything in-house. The business’ foundations also remain environmentally ethical, too. 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.