ABOUT

Dody — Creative Founder of Austin Basics 

Dody has always done things her own way. “Dody doesn’t follow fashion. She follows her eye.”

A lifelong tomboy with a love of men’s vintage clothing, she grew up drawn to Hawaiian and Western shirts, trucker caps, oversized ’80s sunglasses and old-school watches. As a little girl, she chose toy robots over Barbie dolls — and still collects them today.

Her style has never fitted neatly into one box. She’s equally inspired by muscle cars, hot rods and vintage motorcycles as she is by stilettos, glam makeup and old-school Hollywood. One day might be tomboy or military-inspired; the next, ’70s Roller Girl, ’90s grunge or Rockabilly.

For Dody, it’s all about the mix — masculine with feminine, vintage with modern, and unexpected pieces put together in a way that feels entirely her own.

That same attitude is at the heart of Austin Basics: individuality over trends, personal style over fashion rules, and the freedom to wear what makes you feel like you.
  

The Austin Basics Story

Dody started making her own clothes at 13, simply because she didn’t want to look like everyone else. She loved creating one-off pieces — clothes with personality, character and a point of difference.

That instinct stayed with her. After studying fashion and developing her own style, she launched her first label, Black Deuce, inspired by hot rods, drag racing, vintage muscle cars and old-school Americana.

In 2014, Austin Basics was born.

After moving to Bali with her young family, Dody began developing the brand on a larger scale. Austin Basics started with clothing before naturally evolving into bags and accessories — and, somewhere along the way, the bags took over.

Today, Austin Basics is all about unexpected combinations, beautiful materials and pieces with personality. Luxe leather meets heavy canvas. Japanese fabrics meet metallics. Tough meets feminine. Classic shapes are given an unexpected twist through colour, texture, hardware and detail.

The result is functional, versatile bags designed to be lived in — thrown over your shoulder, taken travelling, carried every day or dressed up for the night.

Because Dody believes the best pieces aren't necessarily the ones everyone is wearing. They're the ones that make someone stop and ask:

“Ohhh… where did you get that?”

Austin Basics has evolved since 2014, but the philosophy hasn't changed:

Wear what you love. Wear it your way. No approval required.