Armand Basi

Catalan manufacturer of men’s, women’s and children’s wear. In the 1940s, Josep Armand Basi opened a small tailor’s shop in Barcelona. In the next twenty years the shop grew to become such a large company that in 1961 it obtained the exclusive license to manufacture the French brand Lacoste in Spain. The 1970s were a turning point for the company, marked by the arrival of Juste de Nin, who was appointed artistic director and brought a modern touch to the Collections. A new plant at Badalona, near Barcelona, was opened in 1987, and in 1994 the firm entered markets in other European countries, in Asia, and in the U.S. The following year it opened its first London store, followed by a store in the Paseo de Gracia in Barcelona. This period saw the brand’s first presentations at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris, as well the grand opening, once again in London, of an exclusive boutique on elegant Conduit Street in Mayfair.