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Quality Wardrobe Staples from Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan

View recent Bassike Collections on Australian Fashion Review Blog

Introduction to the Bassike Fashion Label

Friends and former Ksubi and General Pants employees, Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan, founded fashion label ‘Bassike’ in 2006, with the aim of creating versatile, desirable and luxurious basics that can easily work in a structured wardrobe, just as well as with a pair of flip-flops.

Originally established as an original range of organic t-shirts, the Bassike product range soon expanded to include a line of denim, with a range of hand crafted jeans made with high quality Japanese fabrics and a focus on traditional engineering. As the label continued to grow so did the product line to include full women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections with an emphasis on producing quality garments, locally. There was further expansion in 2011 with the addition of a Bassike Eyewear collection of quality Japan-made frames.

As of 2012, the Bassike collections are available through three stand alone boutiques in Paddington, Avalon and Mosman. Additionally, the brand is available in more than 90 premium boutiques throughout the globe, including in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, UK, USA and throughout Europe. A full list of stockists can be found on the official Bassike website.

Bassike Fashion Label: Timeline Snapshop

2006:

• The ‘Bassike’ fashion label is founded by two former Ksubi employees, Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan.

2009:

• The Australian basics brand has its first runway presentation as Format Furniture in Sydney’s Surry Hills in collaboration with jewellery designer Michelle Jank.
• Bassike collaborates with New York- based Australian photographer Beau Grealy for the Spring 2009 campaign.
• The Bassike fashion label grabs the attention of the UK fashion market, being picked up by Autograph in Birmingham and Liberty and Oki-Ni in London.

2010:

• Bassike has its first catwalk presentation at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week for their Spring/Summer 2010 collection.
• Bassike looks set to conquer America with the brand launching into US department stores Barney’s and Fred Segal.
• International style icon, Sara Jessica Parker is seen leaving the Sex & the City 2 press conference wearing a Bassike tee after bulk buying from the brand’s catalogue.

2011:

• Bassike launches its eyewear collection consisting of a concise line of classic acetate and titanium frames, made in Japan. Concieved in collaboration with renowned opticals designer Danny Sekulich of Inkon, the line is made up of just three simple styles in classic tortoiseshell, polished or matte black, as well as the seasonal colours of navy blue, vintage gold, chambray and orange.
• The brand signs a deal with Australian retail giant, David Jones to be stocked in 12 of their department stores, occupying spaces previously taken by Sass & Bide, who defected to Myer in March.
• Bassike teamed up with Espadrille label, Soludos to create a capsule collection of environmentally friendly footwear – the soles are made form sustainable materials and the organic cotton uppers are coloured with vegetable dye.

The Bassike Brand Aesthetic

The fundamental design philosophy of Bassike is to create trans-seasonal wardrobe staples that combine timeless style with sustainable fabrics of premium quality. The brand’s signature aesthetic appeals to men and women alike and is influenced by the contrasts of loose Australian beach style and the integrity and simplicity of Japanese design. Using natural fibres and fabrication, each piece is designed to work not only as separates, but also in conjunction. Celebrity fans of the brand include Megan Gale, Miranda Kerr, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Visit the official Bassike website, here.

If you like the look of Bassike, why not check out fellow Australian labels, Trimapee, Ksubi and Dion Lee.

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