BY MICHAEL DAKS Basil Racuk
Basil Racuk is a fashion and accessories designer originally of Ukrainian descent by way of Argentina. He was born and raised in San Francisco.
A lthough Basil’s family history started in Ukraine, it is a story of migration. His grandparents emigrated to Argentina between the wars in the 1930s, before Basil’s parents moved separately (before they had met) from Argentina to the US sometime in the 1950s. “The short version of this event chain is that they met in San Francisco through a mutual friend who owned the building next door to where my first shop was in the Mission.” He has since moved from that location to one at 3980 24th street in Noe Valley. Over his long career, he has worked for various fashion labels. The last company he worked for was Gap Inc, where he worked for both the Banana Republic and Old Navy brands.
“I did thirty years of industry work before I became a ‘new designer’!” He launched a small collection of leather bags geared toward men in 2007. He did it for a very personal reason: “He was starved for craft.” At the time, he was working as a designer and sat at a desk most of the time, and when he wasn’t at his desk, he was traveling around the world, often going from airport to factory to hotel. “I realized that, at the very least, I needed to start making something with my hands. I stayed at my job for many years, making bags when I got home at night.” He makes each piece, including the off the peg pieces that one can buy at his shop. When discussing customs with a client, he tells them that they are able to consider the entire spectrum of color when they design something for them. This may be a slight exaggeration, but only a slight one.
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