In the years following the First World War, Mr Ryland, the owner of a dye works in Birmingham founded in the early 19th century, met Mr Basso from Genoa, who spent a lot of time in Britain for study and tourism. The two men quickly got to know each other commercially and decided to set up the Ryland Colour Factory in Italy, which was highly regarded in the Commonwealth and the UK for its yacht paints.

In 1926, the company between the two businessmen was therefore founded in Genoa. The B.R.A.V.A.: Basso Ryland Anonima Vernici Affini. The Brava quickly became one of the first Italian paint factories specialising in the Navy.

The British were in the vanguard, so that their original formulas made in the Genoese colour factory proved successful. The British passed on to the Brava partner not only their technique, but also the prestigious image of the labels in the unsurpassed Victorian naval style that the Genoese paint shop has religiously preserved and still uses today for its classic 'Rylard' paints.