We wanted to bring you a hard-hitting interview with the real Basil Bangs to coincide with our feature today, but instead he sent his people, Lauren Boyce and Mike Durante.



Lauren and Mike, what is your background?  What led you to start Basil Bangs?
We've been friends for a long time – Lauren worked in advertising and Mike was an industrial designer in the surf industry.  We both live by the beach and love the lifestyle, so jumped at the chance to combine our talents and create top of the line products with a vintage vibe. It started as a fun side project for both of us but we've been blown away by how much people love Basil.

Who is Basil Bangs?
We can't say too much, as Basil likes to retain an air of mystery. We'd describe Basil as a cool cat who guides our design decisions. He likes to think he's a handsome devil. Perhaps he's our joint alter ego!

Can you tell us about the Basil Hinge?
Mike designed the hinge, inspired by hinges of the 1960s and 1970s which were a lot tougher. The Basil Hinge is made from chromed die cast aluminium and marine grade plastic – it's built to look great and to be really durable – we did a lot of testing on it.  Since it's unique to Basil Bangs, we've applied for a patent to protect it. Basil doesn't like impersonators!

Do you design your own fabrics?  What inspires you?
We were originally inspired by the retro, vintage look of old-school beach umbrellas that we'd see at markets and garage sales. We design our own patterns, based on colours we love, and trends we're seeing.  The most fun part is testing the new designs on our friends – locals with beach cred. They're our most valuable resource because they're completely honest about what works and what doesn't. We also use Sunbrella striped fabrics and we've recently collaborated with Missoni to use one of their fabulous patterns.