BAPE is abbreviated as A BATHING APE. There are two meanings behind this brand name firstly, it’s an homage to Nigo’s favorite film, the planet of the Apes. A bathing ape is a Japanese fashion brand.

And it is founded by Nigo in Ura-Harajukh in 1993, Tokyo Japan. 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 store, Bape exclusive Aoyama, and bap-exclusive 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 Guangzhou
• Chengdu Qingdao
• Taipei Shenyang
• Beijing Dubai
• Shanghai London
• Paris New York City
• Miami Lumpur
• Los Angeles Jakarta

The company previously operated, Bape cut 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 IT group for about $2.8 Million. Nigo left the brand in 2013.

2006 was the brand’s heyday. Rappers liked it .it was the loud patterns on the BAPE hoodie and the printed jeans that attracted them. The sneaker colorways were also unique for their time, but the brand remained stuck in a time warp and became highly dated. it became severely dated because it lacked freshness in design and failed to keep up with changing trends in style .as opposed to nostalgia, it was a stagnation and people wearing the brand looked dated and behind the times A new trendy event was like wearing last year’s fashion again.

BAPE LOGO

The BAPE logo is the head of an ape. But you can find its meaning by splitting its brand’s name-BAPE. The letter B stands for bath, leaving the name of the creature. So, BAPE is the shortened form of the caption –A bathing Ape in Lukewarm Water. APE reached its peak in the late 90s and early 2000s. Fashion-conscious personalities such as rapper The Notorious B.I.G. wore his clothes and thus earned the brand a good reputation in the hip–hop scenes. one of the reasons for the high cost of BAPE clothes is the limited quantities in which they are produced. the company only produces a small number of each item, which increases demand and drives up prices. in addition, BAPE clothes are often made with premium materials and feature intricate designs. The most expensive BAYC NFT is Bored Ape #8817, which sold for the towering sum of $3.4 Million.

BAPE HISTORY

Nigo, founder, and former owner cites his mother and father, who was 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. he also credits DJ/fashion guru Hiroshi Fujiwara as his business model.   his nickname means “number two” in Japanese the MD of the auto robot, the fashion store, coined the moniker when he noted the physical resemblance to Fujiwara NIgo and cites his early influences as ELVIS, the Beatles, and hip hop acts such as Beastie Boys, and RUN –D.m.c

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 of Undercover, on April 1, 1993, in Ura-Harajuka. Deciding to start his brand, he named it after the 1968 film Planet of the Apes.

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 °C (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 customers. To expose the brand, he gave T-shirts to the musician Cornelius who wore them when performing.

On February 1, 2011, it was announced that A Bathing Ape had been sold to Hong Kong fashion conglomerate I.T 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.^[8]

BAPE DESIGN

Bape frequently collaborates with other brands and features characters from popular media such as sponge BOB    square plants, Marvel comics characters, Nintendo, Hello Kitty, and the Sanrio Family. These designs are used throughout the Bathing Ape range, on goodies, accessories, BAPE hoodies, jackets, T-shirts, and shoes. A Bathing Ape has also collaborated with many other famous brands such as:

Pepsi, MAC, Coca-Cola, Comme des Garcons, Rimowa Undercover, Supreme, Steussy, Carhartt, Casio, Adidas, and Timberland.

In late 2018, the firm announced that it will produce a tie-in fashion line based on the Disney animated film RALPHS break the internet, marking this as the first time BAPE has directly partnered with Disney. BAPE streetwear receives a mixed bag of reviews, which makes it interesting to discuss. The new trend in streetwear won’t change the feelings of those who the brand and appreciate its history. clothing is very personal and about what you identify with. This is a result of the brand’s lack of keeping up with the modern trend and the fact that most of the products are manufactured in China. BAPE is essential Streetwear.

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BAPE is a way of life, not a trend.

Even though some members of the population consider the BAPE label to be hip, the vast majority of the populace does not. There was a period of intense activity followed by one of relative calm. There has always been a devoted following for it, even if the number of people who support it has fluctuated over time. It may not be the most popular brand, but it sells well enough to keep its shelves stocked because it appeals to a subset of consumers. Some Japanese will argue that the BAPE streetwear line is crucial to the company, although this view is widely rejected throughout Japan.

Although it is undoubtedly a designer brand and is ranked above the brands commonly seen in shopping malls, the brand was never quite able to earn the position of high-end. Pharrell’s participation generated considerable buzz among specific U.S. audiences, but this enthusiasm did not last for very long as a result of changing circumstances; at the very least, the audience size did not keep increasing at the rapid rate it had exhibited over those initial few years. It was speculated that Pharrell’s presence alone caused the shift in fortunes. It enjoyed a brief moment of popularity, but ultimately it is just a designer label that has established a loyal following in a niche market.

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