Wasteland Society apparel breaks down their witty, woeful designs in The Pitch Questionnaire
Wasteland Society is run by Peter Nonprasit and Sarah Dye-Nonprasit. // Courtesy photo Wasteland Society
Wasteland Society is a local clothing company that creates sustainable apparel with a sense of humor and heart. The team is comprised of husband and wife Peter Nonprasit and Sarah Dye-Nonprasit, who have been making their designs since 2017. Wasteland Society prides itself on the fact that all of its clothing is screen printed using water-based inks and ethically sourced garments.
This DIY duo places emphasis on inclusion, angst, and their motto that “there is no such thing in life as normal.” Here, the native Kansans tell us about their inspirations and aspirations for Wasteland Society.
Social handles:
Instagram: @wasteland_society
Facebook: @wastelandsociety
TikTok: @wastelandsociety
Hometown:
Peter: Olathe, KS
Sarah: Shawnee, KS
Current neighborhood:
Shawnee, KS
What does Kansas City need more of?
More visibility and platforms for creatives and especially creatives who are minorities or marginalized. People shouldn’t have to be at a “special event” to be seen or heard. Everyone and anyone should be able to show Kansas City who and what they are. There’s a lot of movers and shakers that have addressed this issue and we appreciate their support and what they have done, but everyone needs to just keep being seen because there’s so much diversity and culture in this city, and everyone needs to see it.
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The best advice you ever got:
To keep hustling and to keep doing what you want to do. The freedom of making our own designs and printing our own shirts is that we can try and fail and keep on trying. We were watching a video around designing and the person literally said “if you have an idea and it doesn’t work out, try something else until it does” and I feel like the last five years has been a constant cycle of lows then highs then highs then lows. But being consistent is also something we kept up, so I think consistently being chaotic is what we got out of that advice.
What is your greatest struggle right now?
Getting burned out. Getting burnout from the world, from existing and just feeling helpless and uncertain about the world. There’s a lot of anxiety and uncertainty being self-employed and trying to run your own small business and with the added pressures and hardships in the outside world it can really put a strain on our creative process. BUT burnout also pushes us to get out of our funk. Especially when we try to use our platform to address certain issues.
What is your process of collaborating on designs like? Where does an idea for a garment begin, and how do you bring it to life?
One of Wasteland Society’s many witty designs. // Courtesy photo
Collaborating on designs has become easier over the years. At first, I (Peter) was the sole creative and rarely had input from Sarah, but as Sarah understood what Wasteland was trying to mean, ideas have just been thrown back and forth. You, yourself, are your worst enemy, so having someone else look at an idea and being there 24/7 is a lovely asset. When we collaborate with other businesses and brands, we allow them to throw ideas our way and we basically “Wasteland it.” We try and let our collaborators steer the ship, because it allows us to remix and rework their idea to whatever dreary happy ever after we create together.
What are some of the joys and challenges of being creative partners with your spouse?
Some of the joys are that we get to spend A LOT of time together! We are best friends and always have fun together and always manage to laugh and be silly while we are working. The biggest challenge is that we are together a lot. We can both be difficult at times and sometimes have stubborn opinions about things, but we always manage to work through them. Our business helps our marriage out in more ways than we’ve ever realized.
How has the clothing line changed since its founding in 2017, both in terms of style/aesthetics and in terms of operations?
It hasn’t changed a ton; the vision and voice have been the same since the beginning. Our style has changed slightly over the years by constantly upgrading the quality of what we offer to our customers. In the beginning we had to navigate into more of the local aesthetic for visibility, but the sarcasm and humor was there, as well as the underlying moodiness that we are known for. As the years went on, we started dropping more things that were closer to what we were really wanting to make it to the point that we are at today.
Peter has stated in an interview with Startland that his osteosarcoma diagnosis has influenced the brand’s message of “existentialism and inclusion.” Could you elaborate a bit on this mission?
Peter was 19 when he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma. It was a huge wake up call for him because he had just enrolled at JCCC after having to leave KU and as he was trying to get a grasp on his future that seemed like it was be pulled right under him. He became bitter while he should have been working on his life. Instead, he was confined to his bed or a chair at the Cancer Center or at the hospital. He spent a lot of time getting angry and questioning life. Once Peter was in remission, that’s when the real struggle began. Having that ordeal behind him, he suffered from depression and just the idea of having to have gone through that and dealing with the physical pain that remains to this day. Being that close to what could have been death gave him a view of the world from a completely different lens and it’s what gives him his darkly humorous outlook, which definitely comes through in our brand’s message.
How does humor factor into your designs?
Wasteland Society beanies. // Courtesy photo
Peter was always a sarcastic individual and someone who liked to keep people on their toes or make them laugh. A lot of the humor in the designs are never too on the nose, because he doesn’t like making things easy. For example, last year for Boulevardia, we had a drop that we called The Starving Artist Department, or The S.A.D. It was a drop that introduced our first ever pair of shorts and shirts and accessories that referenced the theme of The Starving Artist Department. We feel that a lot of people can relate because of the hardships of getting yourself through school and just overworking and overpaying for some form of “future”.
How is sustainability important to your business? Can you describe the sustainability measures you take in creating clothing?
We try and make sure we use sweatshop free garments from reputable companies, and we also use water based ink in our prints which deviates from the industry standard plastisol inks that are used heavily in screen printing.
What can KC residents do to support your business, and to support independent artists and creators in general?
GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND SHOP SMALL. There’s so much that goes on in Kansas City and so many incredible small businesses out here! We love the Crossroads Art District and are always down there. There is so much life in this city and so many events and businesses working together and putting on pop ups and entertainment for people to support. We’ve made so many friends with amazing small businesses and entrepreneurs that deserve visibility and business, it’s amazing!
How did you come up with your brand’s tagline, “There is no such thing in life as normal”?
We are a minority and woman owned business, so we are already marginalized in that sense. Growing up in the world, we always assumed equal rights were a given, but obviously with how things have devolved, it’s a huge wake up call. So our tagline represents everyone and anyone of any color, creed, identity, etc. What is normal? Normal is assumed to be boring. Why be normal?
What’s next for Wasteland Society? Any upcoming design launches or new projects you can tell us about?
We are working on our next drop that will include bags and more hats, accessories, and whatnot. We’ve got a killer baseball jersey we are working on that we are excited to release.
