Bassike Heads to LA

Bassike is opening its first international store in Venice Beach, California.

Since launching in 2006, Bassike has had a beachside vibe; from its birthplace in Avalon on Sydney’s northern beaches, to the breezy design of the signature drop-crotch pants and summery cotton dresses. 

Now, the brand is expanding to the Northern Hemisphere, opening its first international store in Venice Beach this September. 

Designers Deborah Sams and Mary-Lou Ryan say they have always envisaged Bassike as a global brand. “We have honed our retail operations over the past four years, with five stores in Australia and are now at the point where we are really confident taking our retail experience international,” says Ryan. “It’s a challenge that excites us and we’ve always wanted the brand to keep moving forward.”

Ryan says their decision to open in LA was a no-brainer. “For us, it has always been LA. Its culture and seasonality are two things we love.” The store is on Rose Boulevard, among art galleries, farm-to-table restaurants and other independent fashion and lifestyle retailers. LA-based creative studio BROOK&LYN and Sydney-based architectural agency Akin Creative are working on the design. “Our Venice store will still feel like Bassike, but as with all of our retail stores, there is a point of difference which comes back to the influence the community has on the space,” says Sams. 

They have also commissioned other, independent LA-based designers to work on custom furniture, artwork and store details. “The intention is that the store feels relevant to its neighborhood, so working with local creatives has been a focus for us throughout the design phase,” says Sams. 

Further international expansion is on the cards for Bassike. Sams says the next location could be, “New York, Tokyo, Paris. But for now, the focus is on LA and establishing the brand firmly before we look further afield.”

Originally published on Broadsheet