Part "social network" and part shopping experience, the app is opening the door for anyone to become a seller, simply by creating a profile showcases your likes, IG handle and bio. Sellers are now offered the ability to utilize the familiar full-bleed short form video format that we've all grown to love through social media to increase interaction and create narrative around their products.
To better understand this major step into the future for Basic.Space, for mobile shopping — and for our creative community — we spoke with Basic.Space CEO and founder Jesse Lee. We also downloaded the app.
What’s the story behind Basic.Space? What inspired it’s creation?
The initial idea came about 5-6 years ago. I was surrounded by friends and family that were creative and multi-hyphenates yet not all were able to build a successful career from it. There were so many talented musicians, artists and designers that I knew - yet not all were famous or making real money. On top of it all, influencer marketing was nearing its peak and I genuinely felt that we could all use something better or at least different. Why not build a platform that can help discover and showcase individuals with good taste and let them earn a living by selling their own products - whether it’s pre-owned/vintage or new as many creatives have their own merch or a brand that they want to launch. As for the name itself... If you look at the literal definition of the two words, Basic is forming an essential foundation and Space is a continuous area that is free. We want entrepreneurial creatives to thrive in their own unique ways.
You’ve said that Basic.Space is less about being famous or influential, and at its core is about “having good taste”. Can you speak to that? How has that shaped the company?
Curation is at the core of what we do. When we first soft launched with a beta app it was mostly my friends who were selling their own pre-owned items - mix of vintage fashion/luxury goods, furniture, art, etc. Then when we decided to formally launch Basic.Space (the site) a little over 2 years ago we added sellers who had new, exclusive products or collaborations for us. Within the first year of the site launching, we had Naomi Osaka’s first NFTs to Virgil Abloh’s collab with Vitra as well as bunch of other, smaller but cool up and coming brands that people love like Aquatic Leisure Club (hats) and Ian Charms necklaces.
What was the mission from the start, in a sentence — how has the digital platform supported that, and how will the app continue to push for it?
Own the Future. is our globally trademarked tagline, slogan and the North star to everything that we do. It has a dual meaning to us - one is that it’s our mission to help discover and support entrepreneurial creatives everywhere to forge their own path. The other is that we have to continually design and build things (site, app, metaverse, etc) that are future-forward. It’s also why we experimented with NFTs and Web3 early on in the beginning of last year and we have Select.Basic.Space where you can experience and buy things in the ‘metaverse.' Last but not least, we want people to discover adn be discovered regardless of where they live around the world. You don't have to be living in the cultural meccas or major cities to be on the forefront anymore as the coolest things can come out of obscure places. On Basic.Space, innovators can find an audience and others can own a piece of their future.