
A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) is a Japanese fashion
brand
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...
founded by
Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in
Ura-Harajuku in 1993.
[David Fischer]
NIGO Announces His Definitive Departure from BAPE
'' highsnobiety'',
May 25, 2013[Breaking Down Bapes](_blank)
TheHipHopIcon.com, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2007 The brand specializes in men's, women's and children's lifestyle and street wear, running 19 stores in
Japan, including Bape Stores, Bape Pirate Stores, Bape Kids Stores, Bapexclusive
Aoyama, and Bapexclusive
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...
. The Kyoto store also includes Bape Gallery, a space used for various events and art shows sponsored by Bape. There are also stores located in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
,
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
,
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong ...
,
Chengdu,
Qingdao,
Shenyang,
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
,
Jakarta,
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...
,
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
,
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
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, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
and
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
.
bape.com, 2022. Retrieved Feb 24, 2022
The company previously operated (Busy Work Shop), Bape Cuts hair salon, Bape Café, BABY MILO and The cay Soldier. Nigo also founded the secondary lines AAPE (by A Bathing Ape) and BAPY (Busy Working Lady). In 2011, the company was sold to Hong Kong fashion conglomerate
I.T
I.T is a Hong Kong fashion and investment conglomerate founded in November 1988. It owns a number of Hong Kong brands which it retails as well as distributing European and Japanese brands such as French Connection and A Bathing Ape. It has a ...
Group for about $2.8 Million. Nigo left the brand in 2013.
History
Nigo, founder and former owner, cites his mother and father, who were a nurse and a billboard maker respectively, as major influences in the development of his character, though because they both worked, he spent a lot of time alone with toys.
[CNN TalkAsia](_blank)
Transcript 28 February 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2007. He also credits DJ/fashion guru
Hiroshi Fujiwara as his business model. His nickname means "number two" in Japanese; the MD of Astoarobot, the fashion store, coined the moniker when he noted the physical resemblance to Fujiwara.
[Nigo interview]
Pig Mag 24 May 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2007. Nigo cites his early influences as
Elvis,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
and
hip-hop acts such as
Beastie Boys and
Run–D.M.C.
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
After studying fashion editing at Bunka Fashion college, he worked as an editor and a stylist for
''Popeye'' magazine. After borrowing four million yen from an acquaintance, who also let him use his shop,
he opened "Nowhere", his first store, along with
Jun Takahashi
is a Japanese fashion designer who created the brand Undercover.
Early life and education
Takahashi was born in Kiryū, Gunma. He attended Gunma Kiryu Nishi High School. In 1988, he enrolled in Fashion Education at Bunka Fashion College. ...
of Undercover, on April 1, 1993, in
Ura-Harajuku. Deciding to start his own brand, he named it after the 1968 film ''
Planet of the Apes
''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...
''. According to Nigo, the name "BAPE" is a reference to "A Bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water". Japanese people typically have daily baths in water at temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 °F). As such, to bathe in lukewarm water is to complacently overindulge as it implies you have stayed in the bath for so long the water has become cold. This is an ironic reference to the lazy opulence of the younger generation of Japanese, the brand's own customers.
To expose the brand he gave T-shirts to the musician
Cornelius who wore them when performing. For two years he produced 30 to 50 shirts a week, selling half and giving half to friends. In 1997, Nigo released his debut album ''Ape Sounds'' under
Mo'Wax, with DJ/Producer
James Lavelle of
UNKLE.
Nigo is also co-owner and head designer of
Pharrell Williams' clothes brands
Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream.
On February 1, 2011, it was announced that A Bathing Ape had been sold to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
fashion conglomerate
I.T
I.T is a Hong Kong fashion and investment conglomerate founded in November 1988. It owns a number of Hong Kong brands which it retails as well as distributing European and Japanese brands such as French Connection and A Bathing Ape. It has a ...
Group. I.T purchased a 90.27% stake in A Bathing Ape. In a transaction encompassing
HK$21,850,000 (approx.
US$2.8 million), I.T purchased a total of 668 shares. Exact details regarding the creative future and expansion of A Bathing Ape are unknown; however, A Bathing Ape founder Nigo remained on board as the Creative Director for the next two years.
Bape is a popular
Japanese street fashion brand and with many celebrities appearing in magazines and catalogs wearing Bape's clothing.
Design
Bape frequently collaborates with other brands and features characters from popular media such as
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' (or simply ''SpongeBob'') is an American Animated series, animated Television comedy, comedy Television show, television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It ...
,
Marvel comics characters,
Nintendo,
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
, and
Hello Kitty and the
Sanrio Family. These designs are used throughout the Bathing Ape range, on goodies, accessories, hoodies, jackets, T-shirts and shoes. A Bathing Ape has also collaborated with many other famous brands such as
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
,
Coca-Cola,
Rimowa,
M*A*C,
Comme des Garçons, mastermind Japan,
Undercover,
Supreme,
Stüssy,
Carhartt,
Casio,
Adidas,
Timberland
Timberland may refer to:
Places
* Timberland, Lincolnshire, a village in Lincolnshire, England
* Timberland, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community, US
Other uses
* Timberland, land used for forestry and timber production
* Timberland (company) ...
and artists such as
Biggie Smalls,
Wiz Khalifa,
Beastie Boys,
The Weeknd,
Soulja Boy,
Pharrell,
UNKLE,
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
,
A$AP Rocky,
A$AP Ferg,
Westside Gunn,
Kid Cudi,
Juelz Santana,
Pusha T,
KAWS,
Kreayshawn,
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and dr ...
,
Gary Panter,
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
, Josip On Deck,
Lil' Wayne,
Chris Brown,
Flatbush Zombies,
Travis Scott,
Domo Genesis,
Damian Lillard
Damian Lamonte Ollie Lillard Sr. (born July 15, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Weber State Wildcats and earne ...
, and
Keith Ape.
In late 2018, the firm announced that it will produce a tie-in fashion line based on the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
animated film ''
Ralph Breaks the Internet'', marking this as the first time BAPE has directly partnered with Disney.
See also
*
I.T
I.T is a Hong Kong fashion and investment conglomerate founded in November 1988. It owns a number of Hong Kong brands which it retails as well as distributing European and Japanese brands such as French Connection and A Bathing Ape. It has a ...
*
Billionaire Boys Club
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bathing Ape, A
Clothing companies established in 1993
Retail companies established in 1993
Clothing brands of Japan
Clothing companies of Japan
Clothing retailers of Japan
2000s fashion
Hip hop fashion
Clothing companies of Hong Kong