ENCINITAS — There are many ways to describe Encinitas local Bryce Wettstein — high school student, skateboarder, Olympian, musician, philanthropist. And now add “fashion icon” to the list.
Wettstein, 17, was recently named the new style director of LA-based skate apparel company GEO Skate, also known as The GEO Metro Party, and will soon have her own signature collection available through the brand.
Wettstein, a student at San Dieguito Academy, has been a GEO fan for some time and began communicating with the brand before her trip to Tokyo this summer for the Olympic Games.
“It was about a year ago,” co-founder of GEO Charlie Cosser told The Coast News. “We had just found her on Instagram and we both expressed that we were mutual fans of each other. She had already loved the clothes that we were putting out.”
As style director for GEO, Wettstein will work closely with Cosser and others in the company to think of new ways to expand the brand further in the skating community.
“Being welcomed into the GEO Fam feels like coming home but I’m not surprised because that’s how GEO makes everybody feel,” Wettstein said. “I can’t wait to begin this exquisite adventure”
Before the partnership became official, Cosser knew the match was right for his company after watching Wettstein compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“We always said when we were developing GEO that we wanted to create this inclusive atmosphere in the skate community and in skate culture. We were looking for the colorful people, the people who were essentially bucking trends,” Cosser said. “And seeing Bryce strumming her ukulele right before dropping in for her run in Tokyo kind of solidified that she was the one for us.”
Aside from her signature collection, which Cosser says will be available at major retailers Urban Outfitters, Tillys, Dolls Kill and Eastern Skateboard Supply, Wettstein will also be helping form the identity of GEO as a whole in her role as style director.
Cosser says Wettsetin began sending illustrations for her ideas around the time of the Olympics.
“There will potentially be some fun items that are truly representative of Bryce and her trademark look. Perhaps a propeller hat in there or some mismatched socks or overalls might appear,” Cosser said. “It’s still early in the process but one of the most attractive things about bringing Bryce in was her knack for mismatching patterns and making something uniquely her own.”
While the process for the signature collection is still early, GEO expects a release date of March 2022 with the potential to first release the clothing line to local shops in Encinitas.
“That would most likely be our first call once we have something to show them. Bryce has an extremely strong relationship at McGills Skate Shop and that I can imagine would be a dream for Bryce and a dream for us to have a Bryce Wettstein product there,” Cosser said.
