Basile in the fifties was a men's tailor at a very high level. Purchased in 1969 by a company that turned it into an industrial operation, the new owner and product manager since 1979 has been Gigi Monti, and Basile itself has become a pret-a-porter label.

"Superb tailoring technique and handsome Italian fabrics are combined in suits with a loose and simple style", wrote The Globe and Mail in 1989

"I am sure that in the near feature, Italian fashion will triumph over the fashion of other countries, inasmuch as it is the product of a unique mix made up of a powerful esthetic sense and a typical italian sense", said Gigi Monti in 1989.