Bape (A Bathing Ape)

Tagline/Slogan: bathing in lukewarm water

Categories: Clothing

Products: Streetwear (t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, sneakers)

Founder(s): Tomoaki Nagao a.k.a Nigo

Bape Logo

You have been to California to savor the SoCal inspired clothing brand Hollister Co. by the world-renowned American clothing retailer Abercrombie and Fitch, it’s time to catch a flight to fly all the way to Japan for the legendary streetwear label Bape which has been influencing the street fashion world with that magic bathing ape.

A Little Bape Story (Name, Logo, Marketing)

Bape a.k.a A Bathing Ape, is a Japanese clothing powerhouse founded by Nigo back in 1993. The clothing company specializes in streetwear, running fashion houses in Japan including Bape, Bape Store, Bape Exclusive store (located in Aoyama, Tokyo) and Foot Soldier. Nigo’s brilliance is not limited to streetwear but in business as well. He is born to be a talented artist as well as intelligent businessman recognized both in the fashion lines and business world. The ingenious ideas to nurture Bape label and the ganbaru (perseverance) have brought great success to him. Apart from streetwear, Nigo’s company also operates Bape Cuts hair salon, Bape Café and gallery, Bape Sounds records. You find Nigo’s footsteps and Bape stores everywhere. Besides Japan, there are also stores in Hong Kong, Taipei, New York, London and Los Angeles among other famous spots.

The name Bape (pronounced as Bay-Pee) is the short for Bathing Ape. Nigo got the inspiration for his brand name from the 1968 film Planet of the Apes. “A Bathing Ape” is the acronym for a Japanese saying “bathing in lukewarm water”. Having daily baths in water at temperatures above 40 degree Celsius is the culture for typical Japanese. Bathing in lukewarm water is an indulgence but also an ironical reference to the lackluster younger generation of Japanese living in the comfort zone of affluence. However, the major part of Bape’s target market is from this group.

The official logo of Bape is the Ape itself. Nigo started nurturing his label carefully by quoting and printing the sticky line “Ape Shall Never Kill Ape” from the film on the t-shirts and give them to Cornelius, a famous Japanese artist, to wear during his performance to increase the brand’s exposure. While the label reach wider audience, Nigo then started supplying Bape clothing in limited quantity to drive the fans crazy. Other than that, the success should also be attributed to the flashy design and original art printed on expensive material. Nigo and A Bathing Ape stepped onto the international stage in years when the infectious Bape virus spread from Japan to the rest of the world.

In recent years, the label has plenty of crossover projects wherein the original art such as Baby Milo Monkey, Ape, Fast Food, Bapesta and Camouflage are used alongside characters from popular media such as SpongeBob, Superman, Batman, Super Mario Brothers, Marvel characters and Hello Kitty. The collaboration also takes place between Bape and famous brands such as Fendi and Pepsi, as well as artists such as KAWS and Gary Panter.

3 Reasons Why I Love Bape

Needless to say, as a street fashion lover, I am one of the million fans of A Bathing Ape. Here are the three things, sane and absurd, that make me fall in love with this brand.

The simple-yet-mass-appealing flamboyant original art refresh one’s eyes. Putting on any Bape clothing kind of making me strutting my stuff anytime, anywhere. I am feeling good.
I especially love the Baby Milo monkey and the camouflage hoodies. There’s nothing in this world cuter than Baby Milo innocent face. It’s so sweet that it even makes me go against the world just to buy it home.
The flashy characters become even livelier when they are playing with other popular characters in the Bape’s ever-expanding cross-over projects. You find no reason to feel bored about this brand as it constantly delivers you new stuff that rejuvenate your sense from inside out.