Wasted Heroes is a fresh alternative t-shirt label developed by Liverpool based graphic designer Russell Reid. Russell is the designer behind the legendary liverpool club Circus and is responsible for their history of twisted and surreal flyer designs. The brand was born from a passion of Graphic t-shirts and is heavily influenced by genres of electronic music and
art.
How did it all start?
Ever since I was introduced to the work of Andy Warhol, screen printing was a media that I wanted to work in. I loved the fact that were discrepancies in each print and the registration was always out, making each print unique. Today I am more inspired by designers and illustrators who screen print, such as the work produced by 'Print Club London' and 'The Small Stakes'.
Unable to find a print studio in the area where I could go to learn the basics, I decided to jump in at the deep end and in September 2008 purchased a screen printing carousel so I could start printing my designs. I spent the next few months experimenting, getting covered in ink and stripping back my designs so they would work on T-shirts.
Why the name?
I would like to say there is a big story behind the name ‘Wasted Heroes’ but there isn’t really. After months of assessment with no result, I decided the best way was to write down 50 interesting and random words, put them in a hat and let fate decide..
What would I like wasted heroes to become?
The name ‘Wasted Heroes’ I feel suits the brand. I would like it to become a platform for not only myself but others like me to showcase their work, people who have ideas about what would look cool on a T-shirt but never get the chance to follow it through. I hope the end product will be a label with a diverse range of work and a little something for everyone. I am keen to feature work from designers, illustrators, graffiti artists, dj’s or anyone that has a cool idea. The Wasted Heroes!
