Los Angeles-based, eco-friendly apparel brand Wasted Collective is all about creating beautiful, sustainable products for chill vibes. “We believe in good times and doing good for the planet,” says founder Ronald Akili on the label’s website. Its latest project is a gender-neutral capsule collection with artist and designer Geoff McFetridge featuring his original illustrations and words on pieces that are sustainably-crafted using eco-conscious materials.
The Wasted x Geoff McFetridge capsule includes two T-shirts with exclusive designs and messages from artist: the “Positive & Negative Zones” white tee ($125 USD) is made with a 50/50 blend of recycled cotton and BCI cotton, and the “Deep E-pology” navy tee ($60 USD) is made with 100% Japanese Washi cotton. Washi is a lightweight, cool-feeling, and wrinkle-free fabric created in Japan from tree bark fibers, as Wasted Collective notes, using craft techniques dating back 1400 years. The extra-long tree bark fibers make the fabric durable, breathable, and fluff-free. It is considered an eco-friendly material as it requires less land than traditionally farmed cotton while using less water.

Also utilizing the Washi fabric is the versatile six-panel “Moonplants” hat ($85 USD), merging practicality with style. A McFetridge graphic is seen on the back and was designed specifically for this hat, a style he often wears. A recycled bungee cord and recycled plastic bead clasp is used to ensure fit.
Rounding out the collection is the “Becoming a Seed” navy crewneck sweater ($140 USD) made with EcoLife cotton – a 50/50 blend of recycled cotton and BCI cotton spun in Spain at the EcoLife yarn mill and brought to Los Angeles to be cut and sewn for production. Featured on the crewneck is the messages “sorry for being wasted” embroidered on the chest.

“’Sorry for being Wasted’ is almost something you would see a Spring Breaker wear, but then my context, what my art feels like is so the opposite of that. It is lighthearted and I think an interesting way to talk about waste and the Wasted brand,” said McFetridge when explaining the message on Instagram. Also included is “these fruit too are seeds” found on an embroidered label. “I was thinking how tasty fruits really are these seed pods…often the core you throw out holds seeds, and so it relates too to waste. Something tasty, positive…can also be meaningful,” McFetrdige added. Both sayings can also be found on the Washi T-shirt.
McFetridge’s unique designs and signature sense of humor is what helped the artist establish a long history of collaborations with many brands, including Nike, Vans, Stussy, Girl Skateboards, Patagonia, and many more. He’s able to distill a message with extreme minimalism, personality, and personal connection. This resulted in the perfect approach for Wasted Collective, which has made a commitment to exploring sustainable ways to craft apparel through material sourcing, upcycling with ReCraft, and even experimenting through its Wasted Studio in Bali, Indonesia.

“I really do spend a lot of time engaged in these outdoorsy things. Each thing teaches me something about the outside world, through experience,” said McFetridge on a Wasted Collective post. “You become more of an outdoor citizen…To actively work to save wild places, wasting less, we need to be connected.”
The Geoff McFetridge x Wasted Collective capsule collection is available now via thewastedco.com.
In other collaboration news, Jaden Smith worked with New Balance to create the “Jaden 574” using 73% surplus materials, 18% virgin materials, and 9% recycled content.