Crazy Shirts and Wyland teamed up yesterday to unveil a new line of T-shirts with designs inspired by the marine life artist.

The exclusive line, which features a “;water of life”; theme, offers five Pima cotton T-shirts and hats with designs of whales and dolphins in tones of moss green, ocean blue and espresso brown.

The new line will be offered at all 36 Crazy Shirts locations, which stretch from Key West, Fla., to Palm Springs, Calif. Hawaii has 22 Crazy Shirts stores.

“;This was a natural fit for Crazy Shirts and Wyland,”; said Crazy Shirts Chief Executive Mark Hollander. “;Both brands reflect a love and respect for the ocean, marine life, and the island lifestyle.”;

Hollander said the company's art department, under the leadership of creative director Eric Robison, worked with Wyland to create the new designs.

“;Our fans will now be able to have their own gallery of Wyland artwork right in their own closets or dresser drawers,”; said Hollander.

The partnership evolved out of a chance meeting between Hollander and Wyland, who have known each other for years.

“;This just happened really naturally,”; Wyland told the Star-Bulletin. “;We said, 'Hey, we should be co-branding. Not only are we both in Waikiki on all four islands, we're also in California and Key West.' “;

Many of the Crazy Shirts retail outlets are located near Wyland art galleries and murals.

For instance, the Crazy Shirts stores in Laguna Beach, Calif.; San Francisco and San Diego are near Wyland's Whaling Walls, along with the ones in Key West and Sarasota, Fla., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

In Hawaii, the Crazy Shirts store at Waikiki Beach Walk is just doors away from Wyland's art gallery.

“;It's kind of crazy for us not to be working together,”; said Hollander. “;Our messages align.”;

Hollander said tough economic times are good opportunities to venture into new partnerships like the one with Wyland.

Crazy Shirts is approaching its 45th anniversary in February, and has managed to weather the economic storm, said Hollander.

Last year, the company also brought back its Kliban Cat designs under an exclusive clothing license.

But the company isn't immune, either.

“;Everybody's impacted by the change in the economy,”; he said.

The company's diversified line of products, plus stores in various geographical areas (California, Nevada, South Carolina, Florida and Hawaii), have helped keep the company afloat. Crazy Shirts also has a catalog and Web site, http://www.crazyshirts.com.

“;With this economy and all the challenges, people want cause-related brands,”; said Wyland, who believes art plays a role in conservation. “;They want more opportunity to do good things.”;

Walk-by traffic was sparse at Waikiki Beach Walk yesterday morning, although a few marathon runners were still in the neighborhood, browsing shops and restaurants.

The signature Wyland designs include “;Big Whale,”; which features a mother and baby whale on a blue T-shirt, along with a humpback whale tail in brush ink, and “;get involved”; dolphins, which is printed with the words: “;Re-Think, Re-Cycle, Re-Use.”;

Adult T-shirts retail for $34, and a portion of the proceeds go to Wyland Foundation's clean water initiative.

The foundation's mission is to raise public awareness about clean water issues, which include a clean water art and science classroom program.

“;The global effort to protect the planet is on the minds and hearts of everyone, and this is a cool, wearable way to for people say, 'This is important to me,' “; said Wyland, who also has a name-brand hotel in Waikiki.

In midspring, several new designs will be rolled out. Eventually, the line will evolve to include women's and children's wear, said Wyland.