BAPE: How Do You Feel About It?

BAPE is more popular than ever in 2020 without a doubt. A movement that was once considered to be on the fringes has now become a center of attention. There is more hype than ever about major players in the fashion world – every designer brand from Balenciaga to Burberry draws heavily on the culture, and street stars, such as Virgil Abloh, have taken their place in the helm of well-known luxury brands like Gucci and Essential.

In fact, let’s go back even further to 1993, to a time when the hype train had just begun, well before we were all onboard, and when Japanese brand BAPE was just starting out. There are iconic camouflage prints and shark motif hoodies that have become symbols of the brand thanks to their popularity. The following is a complete guide to the BAPE history and how it went from being a little fish in the streetwear market to becoming one of the major sharks at the top.

BAPE: How did start? How did BAPE become what it is today?

With a little help from his friends, the legend that is Nigo was able to establish BAPE with a little help from the legend that is Nigo. This Japanese streetwear brand has emerged from the Harajuku underground scene, like many of the country’s streetwear brands.

A few years later, in the 1990s, Nigo opened the clothing shop ‘NOWHERE’ with his contemporary Jun Takahashi of Undercover and then started to design his own clothes in collaboration with another elusive designer, Sk8thing, in the early years of his career. The fact that Nigo started the label on a shoestring budget (he could only afford to bring out 50 T-shirts a week) led to the unintentional invention of two key elements that have become the cornerstone of today’s streetwear model – hype and scarcity.

What does the term BAPE actually mean?

This term – BAPE – stands for “A Bathing Ape” and it has two meanings – the first one refers to the ape being bathed and the second refers to it being your average ape. Firstly, it is a homage to Nigo’s favorite film, Planet of the Apes, both of which were based on the comic book version of the film that Nigo used to read as a kid. This title echoes the idiom “a bathing ape in lukewarm water” which can also be found in the Japanese culture, which is a tongue-in-cheek comment on the overindulgence of young streetwear consumers who exhibit similar tendencies to indulge in a variety of items.

Hip-hop and BAPE have a love affair that goes back many decades

There is a natural link between streetwear and hip-hop, and BAPE is no exception. In fact, it is inseparable from its hip-hop heritage. While the BAPE Brand was selling out fast all over Japan during the early 2000s, American rappers, such as The Notorious B.I.G, Clipse, and Pharrell Williams, were on their way to making the brand go big on the Stateside scene as well. It was Nigo’s partnership with Pharrell through the Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream retailers in 2005 which set BAPE firmly on top of the game, ensuring that it would remain so for a long time.

Throughout the years, the brand has outfitted some of rap’s biggest names, becoming a rite of passage in the cultural milieu and being mentioned in numerous songs and videos throughout its history. As a matter of fact, Soulja Boy bragging about it, Lil Wayne and Pusha-T beefing about it, Cardi B chilling in it, and Kanye West designing it all contributed to its popularity. West’s College Dropout BAPE STAs were actually his first venture into sneakers, and they remain one of the brand’s most coveted items to this day.

Don’t miss out on the signature style of BAPE

A BAPE piece is loud, brash, colorful, and made from a variety of materials. Our work with the brand has resulted in some of the most iconic pieces of streetwear history, which is not a title bestowed lightly on any clothing brand. Then there are the full-zip shark hoodies that come complete with the varsity patches of the World Gone Mad organization. Moreover, the distinctive shark design underneath the emblem is based on the artwork used on fighter jets and battleships, which are both examples of military artwork.

Additionally, there is also an instantly recognizable Cloud Camo print that gives BAPE that Japanese style element of cartoonish element that makes their garments so distinctive. This print brings to mind the escapism of Japanese culture. With the passage of time, the signature print has been featured on everything you can think of. No matter what it is, whether it’s Pepsi bottles, duct tape, or flats, we have it all. There is no matter what it is that you are looking for, we have it all. As one of the world’s leading lifestyle brands, we are known for our quality products and services.

BAPE is owned by whom?

Despite struggling against the counterfeit market for a number of years, BAPE was sold to the Hong Kong fashion conglomerate I.T in 2011. Although Nigo stepped down from the brand a few years after it was founded, there is no denying that the BAPE brand is still going strong and the streetwear crowd goes ape for it as always.