A Bathing Ape

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A Bathing Ape
(Bape)
Type Private
Founded 1993
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Key people Nigo
Industry Clothing
Website http://www.bape.com/

A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) is a Japanese clothing company founded by Tomoaki "Nigo" Nagao in 1993.[1] The company specializes in street wear, operating stores in Japan, including BAPE, BAPE Store, Foot Soldier and the Bape Exclusive store (located in Aoyama, Tokyo). The company also operates Bape Cuts hair salon, Bape Café and gallery, Bape Sounds records. There are also stores located in Hong Kong, London, New York, Taipei and Los Angeles. Nigo also founded the women's clothing lines "APEE", and "BAPY", the female "couture" clothing line.

Contents

[edit] History

Nigo, founder and 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.[2] He also credits DJ/Head Porter designer Hiroshi Fujiwara as his business model.[3] His nickname literally means "number two" in Japanese; the MD of Astoarobot, the fashion store, coined the moniker when he noted the physical resemblance to Fujiwara.[4] Nigo cites his early influences as Elvis, The Beatles and hip-hop acts such as Run DMC and Woobens.[2]

After studying fashion editing at college, he worked as an editor and a stylist for Popeye magazine.[3] After borrowing four million yen from an acquaintance, who also let him use his shop,[2] he opened "Nowhere", his first store, on April 1, 1993 in Harajuku, Tokyo. Deciding to start his own brand, he named it after the 1968 film Planet of the Apes. According to Nigo, the name "A Bathing Ape" is short for a Japanese saying "bathing in lukewarm water". Japanese people typically have daily baths in water over at temperatures above 40 degrees celsius. As such, bathing in luke warm water is to complacently over indulge. This is, ironically, a reference to the lazy oppulence of the younger generation of Japanese, the brand's own customers. [2] To expose the brand he gave T-shirts to 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 'Bape Sounds' under Mo'Wax, with DJ/Producer James Lavelle of UNKLE. [4] In January 2005, Nigo and Pharrell Williams launched the first "Bathing Ape" store in New York. The official name, according to the salespeople at the store, is "Bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water." [5] Nigo is also co-owner and head designer of Williams' Billionaire Boys Club.[6] In 2006, Nigo and N-Kei Enzaki started a record company, Ape Sounds, with help from James Lavelle, a UK DJ and owner of the Mo' Wax label. He serves as a producer and director for his CDs, blending Western hip-hop with Asian sounds.[3]

[edit] Clothing

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[edit] Bapesta

The Bapesta is probably one of the more recognizable trend shoes for the past few years. One simple key to note, is that it looks exactly like the Nike Air Force 1.[7]. It is designed to emulate the shoe of choice among the fore runners of streetstyle in Japan. The classic "uptowns" are worn by a great majority of the trendsetters, be it nostalgia, hip hop or b-ball influences. Nigo simply wanted a shoe that was like the Air Force 1 low, but re-interpreted in the bathing ape way. Hence we have the iconic swoosh replaced by the "sta", the trademark sole pattern re-worked, and the heel tab featuring the bape embroidery.

[edit] Hoodies

BAPE is well known for the unique and colorful hoodies they produce. The Bape hoodie designs are creative and usually feature camouflage in some part of the fabric pattern. The BAPE brand is hugely popular with rap and hip-hop stars, with the most popular clothing item being the Bape hoodies and sweatshirts. They have been heavily critisised in the past for being rather expensive considering the quality and design, with costs direct from the store being upwards of $200-300.

[edit] Stores

Store locations:

  • New York
  • Los Angeles
  • London
  • Taipei
  • Hong Kong
  • Japan (18)

[edit] Celebrities

Celebrities known to wear BAPE include Pharrell Williams , Kanye West , Lil Wayne, Robin Williams, Beastie Boys, Teriyaki Boyz .[8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Breaking Down Bapes TheHipHopIcon.com, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2007
  2. ^ a b c d CNN TalkAsia Transcript 28 February, 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c Going BAPE Metropolis, 2003. Retrieved June 21, 2007
  4. ^ a b Nigo interview Pig Mag 24 May, 2005. Retrieved 21 June, 2007.
  5. ^ Kanye West, Pharrell, Mos Def Celebrate A Designer With Sole MTV.com Jan 12, 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  6. ^ Affleck and Trump lead a Bape Invasion on NYC BET.com Jan 14, 2005. Retrieved 21 June, 2007.
  7. ^ Ogunnaike, Lola (2004-12-19). SoHo Runs for Blue and Yellow Sneakers. The New York Times: Fashion & Style. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-22. “[T]he colorful sneakers ... bear more than a passing resemblance to Nike Air Force Ones”
  8. ^ Kansai Scene Magazine :: Style

[edit] External links