What do you get for the Golden Girls fan who has everything? Brooklyn-based designer Zero Waste Daniel has a few items for you — and they're unlike anything you've ever seen before, not sunbathing out on the lanai, not marooned on the wrong side of a resort island, and not draped across a piano at the Rusty Anchor. In partnership with ABC/Disney/Hulu, this once-in-a-lifetime fashion collection celebrates the 40-year legacy of The Golden Girls with stylish pieces inspired by 1980s Miami, the show's 7-season run, and its enduring message of found family.
The 25-piece collection was created by Zero Waste Daniel, whose ethos of sustainability ensured that this lineup would be unlike anything Golden Girls fans have ever seen before. Using intricate designs assembled from scraps of previously-used fabric, ZWD took the show's instantly recognizable iconography — like the portraits of its four leading ladies — and turned them into highly stylish and lovingly crafted pieces.
The fashion designer also used every inch of custom-made fabrics inspired by some iconic patterns — Blanche's banana leaf wallpaper, the living room couch — to create wearable moments that hearken back to the beloved sitcom, from tracksuits to totes. This capsule collection is so nice, you'll have to look it over thrice.
That's not all! Fans based in or visiting New York City can hop on over to the Zero Waste Daniel flagship shop at 247 Varet Street in Bushwick, Brooklyn to get the full GG x ZWD experience. The flagship store is in full Miami mode, replete with design flourishes and inside jokes that will make every Golden Girls fan go gaga. The flagship store takeover lasts until August 17, but friendship never goes out of style — especially when that style is sourced sustainably.
With the Golden Girls x ZWD moment in full swing, Pop Heist got the chance to chat with Zero Waste Daniel's Daniel Silverstein about the collaboration and its timeless inspiration.
Brett White: How did you get on Disney's radar?
Daniel Silverstein: You never know where word of mouth will lead you! After almost 20 years in NYC, and nearly 10 years of Zero Waste Daniel, the agency working with Disney reached out to me, which was already surreal. When I realized it was for the 40th anniversary of The Golden Girls, it just about knocked me over. I have been a fan for as long as I can remember, so the idea that they had seen my work and thought I was the right fit to reimagine this legacy was an absolute honor. I think the handwork, storytelling, and sense of fun and joy in my pieces resonated with the spirit of the show.
There's been a lot of Golden Girls fashion and merchandise produced over the last 10 years. What challenges did that present, from a design angle? Did you avoid certain things, or feel the need to heighten ideas?
Absolutely! I did not want to make another graphic tee with a quote because there are plenty of great ones already! My goal was to bring an elevated couture approach to something people already love, and to do it in a way that could only come from my studio. That meant leaning into my signature techniques like textile mosaics and translating the characters and their world into something wearable, collectible, and unexpected.
Golden Girls is a rich text with so much iconography to pull from for inspiration — 180 episodes, Miami, the '80s. How did you narrow all that down into a capsule collection?
It was like being a kid in a candy store with so much to pull from, but knowing you cannot take the whole candy shop home. We started with the characters themselves, their personalities, their wardrobes, and even their homes, and distilled everything down to a set of core visual touch points. The banana leaf print, the sofa, and those incredible statement motifs became anchors. Then we layered in smaller nods and deep cut references for superfans who love spotting the details.
The St. Olaf varsity jacket having a herring on the sleeve is sending me. Were there any other references or ideas that proved to be too niche or too complex to include?
There were so many. There is an entire folder in my studio called "too much even for us." One direction we tossed around were all the amazing '80s shoulder pads and sweaters, but it didn't feel right for the season, or on trend enough. That ended up becoming something else entirely. We also played with incorporating the lanai's floor tile pattern into a garment, but it became too visually busy with everything else happening. Sometimes you have to let a good idea go for the sake of the whole collection.
Golden Girls and Zero Waste Daniel each have their own distinct aesthetics — where do they overlap? Were there any words or vibes that you kept coming back to?
We both value individuality, boldness, and a sense of humor. There is an unapologetic confidence in The Golden Girls that is also at the heart of my work. The words that kept coming up were joy, wit, and connection. Both the show and my designs celebrate the idea that style is personal, expressive, and playful, and that it can tell a bigger story about who you are.
Not a question but — Golden Girls is all about found family, essentially four "scraps" coming together to make a new whole. Found families are essentially a zero waste ethos. It makes me love the idea of you doing this capsule collection even more.
I completely agree. That connection was one of the most beautiful parts of working on this. My whole practice is about finding beauty in what others overlook, and The Golden Girls was about finding love, friendship, and home in unexpected places. These women, like the fabrics I work with, came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts. That is the heart of the collection for me.
Do you have a favorite Golden Girls episode, moment, or monologue, off the top of your head?
It changes every week, but right now I keep coming back to Dorothy's deadpan “No, I will not have a nice day” moment. It is perfect writing and delivery and a reminder that style is not just what you wear, it is how you carry yourself.
You can shop the Golden Girls capsule collection online at Zero Waste Daniel. You can visit the flagship shop at 257 Varet Street in Brooklyn and experience the Golden Girls takeover through August 17.
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