In this issue, we feature Andika from BASED.CLUB. Exploring the brand’s starting point and concepts, we navigate through the brand’s journey in the Indonesian fashion scene. As a brand that has been focusing on the “youth”, we are able to discover the roots of the brand.
Nana : It’s so nice to meet you! Can you first give us an introduction to your brand?
Andika : Our brand was founded in 2014, with hopes of becoming an alternative choice among many brands. we put focus on internet culture, everything that is being talked about, and what is happening in the world. So, every design that we put out is really flexible and our dynamic is related to what is happening among young people. Also, BASED.CLUB really wants to be a brand that offers customers pieces that they can remember as they get older.
Nana : Why did you initially create the brand and why did you decide to name it “BASED.CLUB”?
Andika : At that time it was born as we had the idea to create an alternative brand that is flexible and can be directed wherever direction we lead. Before we named it BASED.CLUB, the initial name was “Stay Based”. In the beginning, “Stay Based” was a theme for our product in our concept store named “Arena Xprnc”. From there we evolved to “BASED” as we developed, but we accidentally added “club” when we were making our Instagram account. And so, we updated our name to BASED.CLUB and we want our brand to become a simple brand that can be the basis and identity of young people’s lives.
Nana : We’ve noticed that Instagram account puts out monthly playlists but has music played a big part in your brand? Has anything else influenced the designs of your brand?
Andika : We are inspired by various cross-cultural brands. In the beginning, when we started the brand, Bianca Chandon, Ader Error, Acne Studios was very popular amongst us. We also talked a lot about Balenciaga when it was entering its era of analog to digital culture transition. Our focus is to provide something that young people could relate to and so, we bring music into that part and use it as a medium to represent their feelings.
Nana : Do you have an impression of the current fashion in Indonesia? If you do, what do you think has influenced it?
Andika : In our opinion, the fashion industry in Indonesia is becoming very big and is growing rapidly. Some use brands as canvases for their work, some of them go crazy looking for money, some even make it political. Many new fashion influencers have emerged and are playing an important role as fashion has become an extremely vital part of the lives of the younger generation. As internet growth has become prominent in society, the Indonesian market has become more educated and has gotten better. It is easier to find sources and inspiration, allowing many people to look up to fashion trends from various social layers and genres. Starting from streetwear, vintage wear even to y2k and there are many other types of trends nowadays. Sustainable brand and thrift shop trends have also made the fashion ecosystem here grow rapidly, although, on the other hand, it becomes a threat to new brands.
Nana : What do you think will be the next trend in Indonesian street fashion along with Asian street fashion?
Andika : Maybe in the near future, there will be a transition in outdoor wear trends where sports themes will cross with streetwear trends in Asia. Currently in Indonesia, many brands are releasing sports jersey collections, outdoor jackets, while some brands seem to be taking the vintage wear mood and experimenting with material games, competing to create unique products.
Nana : How do you use social media as a platform to deliver your products and designs?
Andika : We use different social media platforms depending on different needs. For example, on Twitter we always goofing around with memes but on the other hand, we use Instagram nowadays as a gallery. Recently we just wiped out our Instagram posts to 0, because why not.
Nana : BASED.CLUB has recently launched a perfume. What inspired this perfume and does the brand want to make more in the future?
Andika : Definitely not. We just wanted to make a cute product, we love pastel colors and we love flowers.
Nana : Can you tell us about some of the most challenging experiences you have had during the process of building your brand?
Andika : We always try to position ourselves differently from others. We don’t want us to be in the same pool with other brands. Because of the growing speed of marketplaces in Indonesia, the quality and value of the other brand themselves are decreasing. So we tried to break away and make a new stream.
Nana : As someone in the Asian fashion industry, do you notice a difference in the current Asian fashion scene from before and after the pandemic occurred?
Andika : Most brands rely on digital, especially online discounts now. Maybe that’s not a bad thing for them to survive but because we find it difficult to compete on price. So we try to separate ourselves based on our brand’s own vision and mission.
Nana : Do you have any advice for our readers who are seeking to find a way to build a creative fashion brand like “BASED.CLUB”?
Andika : Don’t create a brand to enrich yourself, pay attention to the culture you want to build.
We want our brand to become a simple brand that can be the basis and identity of young people’s lives.
andika from based.club
Text: Yuka Yoshimura
