Bathing Ape | BAPE

Bathing Ape or BAPE is a popular brand of clothing that has developed a cult following due to the excess in their style and design. The Bathing Ape / BAPE sensation began in 1993 when Japanese DJ, producer and designer Nigo created his first set of clothes that would later go on to become a worldwide phenomenon. Nigo, in a small shop in the trendy Harajuku section of Japan, created limited editions

The name "A Bathing Ape" is short for a Japanese saying "a bathing ape in lukewarm water." It's a reference to the young generation being spoiled, pampered and too complacent. The Bathing Ape / BAPE prides itself in exclusivity. The brand was built on this exclusive idea, resulting in a greater demand for their products. According to Nigo “For each design we have, we are probably able to sell between one and two thousand T-shirts. But I still don't want too many people wearing the same thing, so we're not interested in increasing the number of sales per design.” That statement adheres to the notion and sense of feeling that Bathing Apes / BAPE provides.

The Bathing Ape / BAPE brand consists of a wide variety of different clothes. There are Bathing Ape / BAPE hoodies, jackets, jeans, shoes, t-shirts shirts, polos, sweatshirts, denim. Many of these are limited edition with the price ranging anywhere from $100 to $1500. The popular and trendy Bapesta sneaker is one of the more popular products in the BAPE clothing line. The brightly colored shoes look exactly the popular Nike Air Force One’s. Nigo drew inspiration for these shoes from the Nike Air Force One’s hence the similar look. The Bathing Ape / BAPE hoodies are another popular aspect of the Bathing Ape line. The hoody differs from many that are on the market, with its own flair and different design style.

The demand for Bathing Ape / BAPE clothing has resulted in the market being flooded by fake

knock offs from Hong Kong and Taiwan hitting the consumer market. The imitation clothing usually sells for a fraction of the cost of the original Bathing Ape / BAPE and their quality is far from superior. These fakes are usually called Fapes, a mixture of fake and BAPE

Bathing Ape / BAPE has become symbolic in the Japanese street culture and the demand for the release of new limited edition clothing has become overwhelming. The Bathing Ape / BAPE has also been endorsed by the hip hop culture in North America. The Bapestas and hoodies were a major hit worn by many of the popular rappers on the hip hop scene.

There are currently over 16 retail stores worldwide. With stores in Japan, New York, London, Taipei and Hong Kong, and one planned for Los Angeles, Bathing Ape / BAPE is a worldwide phenomenon. There is also a BAPE café, BAPE hair salon, BAPE record label, BAPE TV and in the future plans for a BAPE hotel.

Bathing Ape / BAPE has moved from being just a clothing line, to more like a way of life for many of the people who have embraced the movement. Many say it is a fad, and others say it is here to stay.