Men’s Streetwear

BAPE clothing is produced by streetwear fashion icon Nigo, in Tokyo, Japan. Nigo started his clothing line after completing his training as a fashion designer in the early 90’s. Borrowing money from friends, Nigo opened his first shop in Harajuku, Tokyo. During that period, Harajuku wasn’t yet packed with the nation’s trendsetting youths, it was a much smaller fashion center that was only beginning to blossom. Nigo named his store Nowhere, and he labeled his clothing “A Bathing Ape,” or BAPE, in honor of his favorite film, Planet of the Apes. At first, Nigo only produced a small quantity of T-shirts, and gave the majority away to musicians, especially house DJ’s and hip-hop artists. This helped BAPE clothing reach its intended customer without having to spend money on advertising. As Nigo’s artistry gained recognition, BAPE clothing rose in popularity. Wise to Japanese fickle tastes in fashion, Nigo swore only to produce a limited number of whatever BAPE items he was producing. This kept BAPE clothing as a niche product in high demand. Today, BAPE has opened boutiques around the world, but only in very select locations, such as Taipei, London, Hong Kong, New York and Los Angeles. BAPE is worn and promoted by the hip-hop industry’s top talents, including Kanye West and Pharrell Williams.

Bapesta: The BAPE Shoe Line

The Bapesta is modeled after the timeless Nike Airforce 1. Bapestas feature a lightening bolt and star design on their exterior that identifies them as BAPE products. Many interesting details are featured in Bapestas, including lettering, logos and color choices not seen by any other shoe manufacturer. Lately, the exclusivity of BAPE shoes has created an aggressive knockoff industry that has tried to replicate and sell fake Bapestas. Authentic Bapestas, however, feature high quality materials and stitch work that sets them apart from imitators. Always buy from official BAPE retailers to ensure your purchase is authentic and of the highest quality. BAPE shoes are only ever made in limited quantities, which often draw large crowds to their retail outlets when a new model becomes available. It is recommended that shoppers buy new BAPE products before their size become sold out, because it is unlikely that they’ll be able to buy the exact model in the future. For other great footwear, check out Dansko shoes.

BAPE Hoodies

Today, BAPE is best known for their line of hoodies that are frequently worn by famous personalities in the hip-hop and DJ music scenes. BAPE hoodies are easily identifiable by their striking colors and patterns. The typical BAPE hoodie features a camouflage design, or a highly repeated pattern with sharp color contrasts. These loud design choices make BAPE hoodies stand out and get recognition. Costing upwards of $200-300, these hoodies aren’t cheap, but like all BAPE products, they are made with high quality fabrics and feature many surprising details that you won’t find with any other brand. Hidden logos, tiny labels, slick lettering and pattern work, made BAPE hoodies wholly original. Their limited production runs make any BAPE hoodies an instant collector’s item.