With Australia’s borders effectively closed, Bassike is enjoying a local revival. The brand of essential wear founded by Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan—Bassike is a respelling of basic—is opening a new Sydney store. Over the phone, Sams explained that the label was already well-suited for the more relaxed lifestyle that the pandemic has enforced. “For the kind of business we are,” she paused, “well, it’s sort of ideal.”
For all its ease though, Bassike doesn’t skimp on tailoring. “We are quite considered,” Sams offers, referring to the precise tailoring of her trousers and specific placement of seams. It’s not just cozy cashmere fluff for the sake of slouching—the slouch is highly engineered. For resort 2021, which was designed before the pandemic’s depths but is being revealed in a see-now-buy-now format, Sams recut trousers with a high rise and loose slit flare. They can look quite formal when paired with a sand-color linen blazer, or more casual with a cotton thick-knit polo and sandals.
New obsessions for the season are skin and ruching. Sams emphasized the “tonal colors and grounded palette” of her halter-neck tops and backless dresses, stressing that in the end, this was a collection that can be read as an ode to the earth. The sun-bleached dyes she and her team have worked hard to perfect help hammer that point home. The best part of Bassike is that it feels like an ode to the wearer. It’s not hard to imagine a real body inside these clothes, doing whatever tasks might come along, whether that be partying or isolating. When international shipping becomes easier, there’s sure to be a global spike in enthusiasm for Bassike.
