A Bathing Ape

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Not to be confused with Aquatic ape hypothesis.
A Bathing Ape
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFashion
GenreStreetwear
Founded1993; 31 years ago (1993) in
Ura-Harajuku, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
FounderNigo
Headquarters
Tokyo
,
Japan
OwnerI.T Group
Websitebape.com
Bape Store Harajuku, Tokyo
BAPE store deployed in Hong Kong (2006-2011)

A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) is a Japanese fashion brand founded by Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in Ura-Harajuku in 1993.[1][2] 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. 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, Taipei, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Qingdao, Shenyang, Seoul, Jakarta, Dubai, New York City, Kuala Lumpur, London, Paris, Miami and Los Angeles.[3]

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 Group for about $2.8 Million. Nigo left the brand in 2013.[1]

History

Nigo, founder, former owner, and Teriyaki Boyz member 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.[4] 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.[5] Nigo cites his early influences as Elvis, The Beatles and hip-hop acts such as Beastie Boys and Run-DMC.[4]

After studying fashion editing at Bunka Fashion college, he worked as an editor and a stylist for

Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream.[7]

On February 1, 2011, it was announced that A Bathing Ape had been sold to

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.[8]

Bape is a popular Japanese street fashion brand and with many celebrities appearing in magazines and catalogs wearing Bape's clothing.[9]

Design

Bape frequently collaborates with other brands and features characters from popular media such as

Travis Scott, Domo Genesis, Damian Lillard, and Keith Ape
.

In late 2018, the firm announced that it will produce a tie-in fashion line based on the

Disney animated film Ralph Breaks the Internet, marking this as the first time BAPE has directly partnered with Disney.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "A Bathing Ape owner exploring dual track exit plan". ION Analytics Community. 2024-02-26. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  2. ^ Breaking Down Bapes TheHipHopIcon.com, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2007
  3. ^ [1] bape.com, 2022. Retrieved Feb 24, 2022
  4. ^ a b c d CNN TalkAsia Transcript 28 February 2006. Retrieved June 28, 2007.
  5. ^ a b Nigo interview Archived July 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Pig Mag 24 May 2005. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
  6. ^ "NIGO® & Jun Takahashi: NOWHERE". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
  7. ^ "Recognize Fresh! Billionaire Boys Club". BET. Archived from the original on 2016-09-04. Retrieved 2011-04-12.
  8. ^ "I.T Hong Kong Purchase a 90% Financial Stake in A Bathing Ape". HYPEBEAST.
  9. ^ "Style: Planet of a Bathing Ape". Kansai Scene Magazine. October 2003. Archived from the original on July 14, 2008.
  10. ^ Higgins, Keenan (30 November 2018). "DISNEY & BAPE COME TOGETHER FOR A 'RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET' COLLAB". TheSource. Retrieved 5 December 2018.

External links

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